


Even Heroes Need Heroes

by Peachlin



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Blood, Broken Bones, Car Accident, Flashbacks, Graphic Violence, Human Experimentation, I'm sorry Peter, Kidnapped Peter, Kidnapping, Language, Manipulation, Minor Character Death, Murder, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Peter is Tony's Biological Son, Poor Peter, Scared Peter, Seizures, Threats of Violence, Threats of torture, Torture, Violence, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:09:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21668749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peachlin/pseuds/Peachlin
Summary: Tony's past comes back to haunt him when Peter is kidnapped. Will Tony be able to figure out the motive in time to save his son from a fate worse than death?
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Stark & Happy Hogan, Tony Stark & Happy Hogan, Tony Stark & James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Tony Stark & Peter Stark
Comments: 53
Kudos: 260





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! I'm finally back with another story! This one has been in the works for quite a while! I had a lot of help with it, but I want to mention two people in particular. My betas Clara Licht and RandomHamster33! Thanks so much for your help! This wouldn't have been near as good as it is without all your help!

Peter woke to a pounding in his head and a sharp pain in his arm.  _ Oww. _ Groaning, he tried to open his eyes, grunting when he couldn’t. _ What the heck? _ He tried to keep his breathing steady, but panic overshadowed the rational part of his brain when he tried to move his hands and found that his wrists were bound.  _ Okay, okay. Chill out for a second. Panicking never helps. _

It took a few minutes, but he managed to calm his erratic heart. The tingle of his sixth sense set his teeth on edge, but he did his best to ignore it. _Think! What would Dad do? He’s been in this situation- I don’t know how many times. A lot. I think. More than me, that’s for sure. He always makes it out okay. Well, not okay, exactly. Alive. With shrapnel in his chest and-_ A thrill of fear flashed through his thought. _Oh, God._ Blood roared in his ears, and his fingers were numb. Tears clogged his throat, making his eyes burn.

He pulled and thrashed against the restraints, but it didn’t help. In fact, it did the opposite. He choked on a cry when fire engulfed his arm. It throbbed in time with his heartbeat, shooting sparks of pain through his thoughts.  _ Ow, ow, ow, owww! _ He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the pain to lessen.

_Stop it! This isn’t helping!_ He was trembling. Whether from pain or fear, he didn’t know. He just wished he could go home. _I have to figure out what’s going on and then get myself out of here. I can’t expect dad to save me._ _First things first. I need to know where I am._

He took a deep breath and wrinkled his nose at the stench of dust and mold.  _ That's pleasant.  _ He concentrated on his hearing. Metal clinking on metal as the cuffs and arms of the chair grated together. Cars off in the distance-- a freeway or a highway, judging by the amount of traffic. The cooing of pigeons nearby. And somewhere within the building, there were quiet voices.

He focused on the voices and tried to make out what they were saying, managing to catch a few words, "Stark . . . pay . . . kid . . . sedate him . . ." He wasn't optimistic about the implications.

_ Are they holding me for ransom, or are they going to try to use me for some kind of revenge? _ He pulled against his restraints with his left arm to test their strength. The most he could manage was to move his wrist about a half-inch. It wasn't near enough room to wiggle free. He cursed internally before he slumped back again.  _ Either they have crazy strong cuffs, or they gave me something. Which means . . . they know I'm Spider-Man. Crap. This is really, really bad. First, how would they know I'm Spider-Man? It took Dad months to figure it out, and I live with him! Second, who would kidnap me? It's got to have something to do with Dad, but how would they have a sedative that worked on me? _

His head shot up when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. He waited until they were almost to the door before going limp, hoping that he might learn something if they thought he was still unconscious.

\-----

_ Several hours earlier. _

Happy smiled as he watched Peter wave to his friends. "Hey Pete, how was school?" He asked as Peter slid into the car.

"It was great! There was a pop quiz in physics that I'm pretty sure I aced, and Ned, MJ, and I have a History project that we need to work on tomorrow." Once he buckled in, they pulled away from the curb.

"Will they be coming to the tower?"

"Yeah, as long as dad's okay with it." He turned and gave the man his signature doe eyes before adding, "And you, of course."

He chuckled. "How can anyone say no to those eyes."

"Thanks, Uncle Happy! You're the greatest!"

The man smiled as the kid started talking about the details of his History project.

They were approaching an intersection when Peter cut off and screamed, "Watch out!"

Knowing Peter didn't scream like that for no reason, He slammed on the brakes. The car stopped inches away from a vehicle that had run a stop sign. He sighed in relief before a truck slammed into the back of their car. The force pushed them into the vehicle blocking the intersection.

He was frozen in shock, only snapping out of his stupor when he remembered his passenger. He turned to the back seat, eyeing the teenager before asking, "Are you okay, Peter?"

Peter blinked several times before nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"I'm good, kid." He looked down when his phone started ringing. "That's the Boss. Hey Tony-"

_ "Are you guys okay? FRIDAY said that you've been in an accident." _

"We're both fine. It's just a fender-bender. I might have whiplash, but other than that, everything is-"

"Happy!" Peter screamed. Happy's head snapped around seconds before another truck slammed into the side of the car.

Right into Peter.

The car moved several feet before coming to a stop. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed a hand to the side of his head. Luckily, he wasn't bleeding, but he had a headache, which probably meant he had a concussion.

Blinking several times, he turned to see Peter unconscious and slumped over sideways. There was a large gash on the side of his head that trickled blood into his lap. "Peter! Peter, wake up!" He reached down to remove his seatbelt when he heard the unmistakable click of a gun.

"Put your hands where I can see them."

He looked up into a masked face as cold, gree n eyes stared back. The man snarled before he aimed his gun at Happy’s head. He raised his hands and tried not to startle the man threatening his life.

He sucked in a breath when a second man appeared and went for the back door. "No!" he shouted before the man pressed the gun against his temple. He grimaced and fought the urge to shout profanities.

"Don't move."

The back door opened, and everything in him screamed to protect the helpless child in the backseat. "What do you want?"

"We're just here for the kid."

"I won't let you take him," He gritted out between clenched teeth.

"I will kill you if I have to."

He looked in the rear-view mirror and watched the second masked man drag Peter out of the car. "Please, he's just a kid. He can't give you anything."

"We don't want anything from him."

"Take me instead. Tony will give you whatever you want for my return. You don't have to take the kid."

"Shut. Up," the man growled before slamming the butt of the gun against Happy's head. His eyes rolled back, and the world went dark.

\-----

The abduction took less than two minutes, and Tony heard the whole thing over the phone as he raced to the scene.

He arrived three minutes too late to save his son.

\-----

Tony landed a few feet from the scene of the accident. Someone was trying to extract Happy from the vehicle. The fender, crumpled at an odd angle, made it impossible for the bystander to open the door. 

"Move!" he yelled as he ran forward. The man jumped back at the harsh voice.

With the strength of the suit, He ripped the door from its hinges and dropped it to the ground. He stepped out of the suit and took the man's face into his hands. "Happy? Wake up. I need you to be okay."

"Tony?" the driver mumbled.

"Yeah, I'm here."

Happy's eyes shot open, and he turned to the empty backseat. "No! Tony, they took him! I tried to stop-"

"I know, Happy. I heard the whole thing. It's not your fault." The man shoved Tony out of the way and threw up where he had been standing seconds before. "Okay. You definitely need to get checked out," he said, a hint of disgust in his voice. He looked up when sirens sliced through the noise of the city. An ambulance and two cop cars came around the corner.

They pulled up to the scene and parked before two paramedics rushed over.

He looked over their shoulders until they determined that Happy needed to go to the hospital.

"No! I don't need to go! I'm fine!" Happy yelled as he tried to stand.

"Happy, you need to go. You won't be any help if you pass out."

They shared a look before the driver relented. "Fine. But as soon as I'm cleared, I'm coming back."

"Okay.”

Two officers approached, glancing between the suit and the billionaire. "Did you witness the accident, Mr. Stark?" the older one asked.

Before Tony could answer, the man from earlier spoke up. "I saw the whole thing," he said. "I think it was a trap. As soon as the first car ran the stop sign, a man got out and ran. The same thing happened after the other two cars hit them. Then a fourth vehicle pulled up, and two masked men got out. One of them held a gun to the driver, and the other pulled a kid out. They injected him with something before they threw him in the trunk and drove away."

Everyone stood in shocked silence before the man turned to Tony. "I wanted to do something, but they had guns. I'm sorry about your son. I'll do anything I can to help."

"Would you be willing to come down to the station to give an official statement?" the older officer asked.

"Of course." He turned and followed the two officers as Tony dropped his head into his hands and tried to hold back his tears.

_ I'm so sorry, Peter, I should have been here to protect you. _


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony learns the motivation behind Peter's kidnapping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Sorry about taking forever to post chapter two! I went on vacation and came up with a new idea for the story. So I'm going back through what I have written (25,000 words) and changing some stuff. The first few chapters are pretty similar to the way I had it before, but the later chapters will be different. I'm going to post once a week till I finish the story.
> 
> I'm not sure how long it will take because I still need to write the ending, and I suck at them.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy chapter two!
> 
> Chapter specific warnings: violence and some light swearing.

Tony was going over every piece of information he could find. He had F.R.I.D.A.Y. going through the security footage while he hacked into the police server to go over the statement that the witness, Conner Macy, gave. He was able to provide the license plate number, and he asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. to find the car.

He paced the lab while he waited for F.R.I.D.A.Y. to find a clue of some kind. The longer it took, the angrier he got.  _ God, why did they have to take you? It should have been me. _ He was about ready to punch something when F.R.I.D.A.Y. interrupted his thoughts. She had managed to find the car through CCTV and traffic cams. She gave him coordinates to an abandoned warehouse. 

"I need the suit!"

"On it, boss."

He waited for the suit to encase him before he flew toward the coordinates. He had a fleeting thought of how exposed the suit made him, but pushed it to the back of his mind when the building came into view. "FRI, scan the building."

After a few seconds, she said, "There are no signs of Peter or his captors inside."

"Scan again!"  _ This can't be happening! _

"There are no signs of Peter or his captors inside."

"Damn it!" He flew through the roof and landed before exiting the suit. He looked around the warehouse as he tried to decide where they would have held Peter.

He set the suit to sentry mode and made his way forward.  _ If I was a psychotic kidnapper, where would I keep my victim? _ he thought as he inspected the main floor. It was mostly graffiti and broken glass. There were a few sleeping bags scattered around, but other than that, there wasn't much to look at.

He had seen a second story when he flew in and looked around for a set of stairs. He finally found some in the back corner and climbed them to the second floor. The Iron Man suit followed close behind, ready to take out any threat they might come across.

He went through each room. The first two were full of old, broken-down machines. The third was an office that had a coating of dust at least a half-inch thick. It was the fourth room that caused him to pause. There was a single bare lightbulb hanging from the ceiling and a metal chair in the center of the room. A small sliver of light filtered in through a dirty window near the ceiling. It illuminated a congealing puddle of blood on the floor.

"Oh, God . . . Peter . . .” He tried to remember how much blood the human body could lose before it went into shock, but he wasn't a doctor. The puddle was small, and if they wanted anything from him, then they needed to keep Peter alive. He stared at the blood until anger overshadowed his fear.  _ I'm going to find whoever thought they could hurt Peter, and I'm going to tear them limb from limb. _ He took deep breaths for several seconds as he tried to compose himself.

His eyes snapped open and darted around again. They fell on an envelope sitting in the center of the chair. He lifted it, turning it over to open the flap. He tipped it into his hand, and a flash drive slipped into his palm.  _ Why can't they just call me like normal kidnappers? _ He looked around again, memorizing every detail before he shoved the flash drive into his pocket, and got back into the suit. It powered up, and he flew through the window and toward the tower.

. . . . .

Pepper was tapping her foot with impatience. Tony should have arrived twenty minutes ago. She had reminded him that morning about the conference before she kissed him goodbye. He had gotten a lot better at being on time in the last few years, and she was almost surprised that he was so late. Almost.

She checked her phone one last time before she sighed and walked through the doors. She didn't look forward to informing the reporters that Tony Stark wasn't able to make it. She took her place at the podium and opened her mouth to break the news. Before she could utter a word, several people started shouting.

"How's Mr. Stark taking-"

"Have the abductors demanded-"

"-the Avenger's be-"

"-had any contact-"

"Tony's son-"

"Miss Potts-"

"Have Peter's captors-"

Once she finally deciphered what had happened from the shouts, she tried to keep her face blank. "Mr. Stark is unable to attend this conference. I will not be taking any questions." She tried to keep her voice steady as she spoke over the shouting. She turned and tried not to run through the doors. As soon as the shouting cut off, she pulled her phone out to call Tony.

. . . . .

Tony plugged the flash drive into F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s system. He sighed and ran his hands over his face before staring down at the tiny piece of evidence. "F.R.I., scan the flash drive for prints and open it up."

"Sure thing, Boss."

After a few seconds, she announced that the only prints were his before she opened the data. A window popped up with a video labeled 'Motivation'. He rested his elbows on the table and dropped his head into his hands. All he could think about was the puddle of blood on the floor.  _ What did they do?  _ He felt his eyes sting and squeezed them shut as he tried to latch on to the anger he had felt earlier. All he could think about was how scared his son would be.

He screamed and threw his hands out, swiping them over the table, watching as the contents fell to the ground. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he tried to compose himself. He needed to keep his head on straight if he was going to find Peter. He sighed, looked up, and attempted to prepare himself for whatever was in the video. Hoping, praying that his son was okay, he played the file before he could talk himself out of it. He needed to know what was in the video, needed to know how badly they had hurt his son.

The screen came to life, and all he could see for the first few seconds was a masked face with green eyes. He sucked in a shaky breath when he finally laid eyes on Peter. Handcuffs secured his arms and legs to a chair, he had a blindfold over his eyes, and tape over his mouth. He breathed rapidly, the right side of his face streaked with blood. The surface of the skin on his arm discolored, the flesh stretched over the broken bone. "Oh, Peter . . ."

"How much does daddy love you?" Green Eyes asked as he walked toward Peter.

Peter's only response was a shrug. He could tell that his son was trying to keep his fear in check, but he could see the slight tremble of his hands. The man growled, and Peter flinched before the man struck him across the face.

Anger flared through Tony's thoughts as Peter's head snapped to the side. "I'm going to kill you," he whispered through clenched teeth. "When I get my hands on you, I'll make you regret ever laying eyes on my son."

"I asked you a question. I expect you to answer."

Peter didn't respond, and after a few seconds of silence, Tony watched him tense before the man kicked him in the chest. A growl escaped him as he watched his as kid tipped backward and fell to the floor, wincing in sympathy as Peter gasped for breath. Tony could see the tensed muscles in Peter's arms and neck and knew his previous injuries were making themselves known.

"Fine, we'll do this the hard way." The man lifted the chair, and Tony didn't want to take his eyes off of his terrified son. They flicked over to the man when he turned back toward the camera.

"Hello, Stark. I want you to know that this is all on you. If you didn't think you could fly around a play hero, junior here would be safe at home right now." Green Eyes made his way toward Peter, dropping his hands onto his shoulders when he stopped behind the chair. "You took my son from me. Now I'm going to take your son from you."

“No . . .” _ He's not dead. There wasn't enough blood. _

Peter yelled something into the tape.  _ I'm going to find you. Just hold on. _ Tony watched Green Eyes drop one hand to Peter's broken arm. Peter screamed as his captor squeezed the damaged limb, and Tony knew that the pain and fear in that sound would haunt him for the rest of his life. His eyes snapped back to Peter's captor when he released his hold.  _ There's nowhere on Earth that I won't find you. _

Peter sat in the chair, breathing too fast and pulling against the restraints as he trembled. Tony couldn't tell if it was from fear or pain.

"I know exactly how you feel right now, Stark. I would have given anything to take my son's place, but I wasn't given a choice. I'm just returning the favor."

Tony stood paralyzed as the screen went black. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he tried not to think about Peter being-

_ I'm going to find you before it's too late. Hold on for me, Pete. _

. . . . .

Peter groaned when his injuries made themselves known. He tried to shift, but his bonds made it almost impossible. He tried to kick something, anything, but every time he did, it pulled his shoulders back.  _ They hogtied me? _ He could barely move, and the strain pulled on his broken arm.

He was still blindfolded and gagged, the obstructions only adding to his discomfort. He tried to pull against the bindings. He could tell that it was rope, but whatever they had injected him with was dulling his powers. He felt so weak. It had been a long time since he'd felt like his old self. It wasn't a good feeling.  _ A typical sedative wouldn't work on me, so how did they find out that I'm Spider-Man? They would have had to get ahold of my D.N.A. somehow to make something so effective. Does that mean they work for S.I.? Or do they work at my school? If they want to kill me, why are we moving? _

He choked back a whimper when they hit another bump. He wished the kidnappers had picked a smoother road.

All he wanted to do was curl up on the couch with his dad and watch a movie as they drank hot chocolate and ate popcorn. His fantasy vanished in a jolt of pain when the car went over a particularly nasty pothole. He fought back the tears, knowing that it would only stuff up his nose and make breathing even more difficult. He tried to think of anything else, something to distract himself from the pain and the heat and the fear.

He tried to wiggle his hands to loosen the rope around his wrists. Wincing when the friction started to burn, he gritted his teeth against the pain and kept going.

He felt the rope loosening as the car came to a stop.  _ Crap _ , he thought as he felt the vehicle shift when the men got out and walked around to the trunk. Peter, terrified because he didn't know what was going to happen next, stilled and waited.

The hatch popped, and fresh air rushed in. He flinched back when his neck throbbed in warning. He smacked his head on the back of the trunk before he felt a hand around his throat. Gasping, he tried to pull away, but the grip tightened, causing him to freeze in apprehension.

"I'm going to cut your feet free, and you are going to walk because I am not going to carry you again. If you try anything, I'm going to break both of your legs. Do you understand?"

Peter shuddered and nodded before the hand moved to his arm, pushing him onto his stomach. The rope fell from his ankles, and he winced as the blood rushed back into his feet. The man,  _ Creep _ , he decided, yanked him from the trunk, and he tried to find his footing. He stumbled for a moment before he found his balance. It took everything in him to keep up and not fall; he couldn't see, and the ground was uneven. He kept tripping, and each time Creep yanked him upright, it sent a bolt of white-hot pain up and down his arm.

"Stairs," Creep barked as Peter tripped on the first one. He yelped and fell to his knees only for Creep to pull him to his feet again. He grunted as pain shot through his body but managed to follow the rest of the way. They walked through a doorway, and Creep shoved Peter to his knees. He bit back a gasp of surprise as he tried not to fall on his face.

"Go get the rest of the stuff. I'm going to take him to the basement."

_ You order that guy around like he's your minion or something. Is he-  _ Creep yanked Peter to his feet before he could finish the thought. He almost couldn't get his legs under him before they were marching forward.

"Stairs," Creep warned as they started to descend. Peter tripped and fell down two stairs with a gasp of surprise before his captor pulled him to a stop. Peter yelped when a bolt of pain flashed through his arm. The man slowed down until they made it to the bottom before pushing him to the ground again. Peter grimaced as he fell to his knees again, and he fought to hold back the scream of pain that wanted to break free. He thought about trying to make a run for it, but he knew he wouldn't make it far before he either tripped or Creep caught him.

He focused on trying to loosen the rope again as he heard metal rattling in front of him. He froze when he heard Creep walk behind him and, a moment later, cut the cord from his wrists. Before he could try anything, Creep trapped his left hand in some kind of shackle. Seconds later, his right wrist joined the other. There was a bar in the middle, keeping his hands about a foot apart. Creep dropped his hands, and they fell a couple of inches. The jolt ignited pain in his broken arm, and he choked back a gasp. His hands hung in front of his face, and he moved to take off the tape over his mouth.

He had almost found the corner when his hands moved a few inches, then a few more. He started to struggle, pulling down as they rose above his head. The movement shot pain through his arm, and he gasped each time. They kept going even when his knees left the floor; he managed to stand and tried to find his balance.

Up until he strained on the tips of his toes. If he relaxed his legs, his wrists took his weight, causing his broken arm to burn with agony. If he held his weight up, his limbs trembled with exertion. There was no way for him to find a comfortable position. He cried out in despair when he heard the man walk up the stairs and shut the door.

_ Dad, please hurry. I need you. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is further traumatized by his captor(s), and Tony receives a new video.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little nervous about posting this chapter. No one has looked over the new version besides me. Please let me know if you see any mistakes or inconsistencies!
> 
> So, this is chapter three. This is probably the most brutal chapter in this whole story.
> 
> I want to say sorry, Peter. So very, very sorry for what I have done.
> 
> WARNING! There is TORTURE in this chapter! I don't think it's overly graphic, but be prepared! There is also a MINOR CHARACTER DEATH in this chapter. Again, I don't think it's overly graphic, but I want you to be prepared! Please let me know if you think I need to change the rating, or if I missed any tags!
> 
> Enjoy!

Pepper called Tony twice before she tried Happy. When neither answered, she called Peter, hoping that it was some kind of prank or false alarm. When it went straight to voicemail, she had to force her tears back.  _ How could this happen? Why are there people out there that would want to hurt Peter? The most innocent, pure-hearted person on the planet? _

Making up her mind, she put her phone in her pocket and rushed out to her car, telling the driver to get her to the tower as fast as possible.

_ When was Peter taken? Is he hurt? Is Tony hurt? And why isn't Happy answering? What do they want? Do they know he's Spider-Man? Have they contacted Tony yet?  _

She practically leaped from the car when it pulled into the back entrance. She ran through the lobby and into the elevator, apologizing to the man she nearly knocked over when she bumped into him.

As soon as she walked through the doors, she asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. where Tony was. The A.I. directed her to one of the man's many labs.

The scene inside brought tears to her eyes.

Tony was on the floor, knees pulled up to his chest, head in his hands as quiet sobs racked his body. Pepper ran forward and fell to her knees beside the man before she wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Tony. I came as soon as I heard. I-Is he…" She couldn't finish the thought out loud.

"He's alive," he whispered.

"Oh, thank God."

"I couldn't save him. I didn't get there in time, and they took him. They took him and hurt him and made me watch . . ." Pepper pulled back and looked into his eyes. They were glazed over and distant; he wasn't entirely there. She could only imagine what was going through his mind. She pulled his head to her shoulder and rocked him side to side as she tried to keep her own emotions in check.

. . . . .

Tony came back to himself on the couch, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, and Pepper's hand in his. She was talking to someone, and once he could focus, he realized that Happy was on his other side.

"Are you with me, Tony?" Pepper asked. He looked into her teary eyes and nodded before squeezing her hand. "Happy told me what happened when Peter was taken, and FRIDAY filled in the rest."

Remembering what sent him into his downward spiral, he looked around and said, "FRI, did you find anything?"

"I have been unable to pinpoint the IP address, boss."

He took a shuddery breath and dropped his head into his hands. He sat there for a few moments before he stood and marched over to the monitor. He pulled up any footage he could find of the building the had taken Peter to and searched through every angle for the kidnappers. They had to have some kind of transportation.

He and F.R.I.D.A.Y. scoured every piece of footage they could find. Finally, after what felt like hours. Tony found the car. He followed it to a junkyard where he lost them again. After another twenty minutes of searching, he felt like he was going to lose his mind.

"Goddammit!" he shouted before he grabbed the nearest object and threw it across the room. The partially put together Stark Phone exploded into a shower of pieces when it hit the wall. He brought his hands up and ran them through his hair, not noticing that he was gasping for breath.

"Tony. Look at me." He felt hands on his face and brought his eyes up to meet Pepper's gaze. "We are going to find him."

"We need to find him now! You saw the video! He could already- already be-"

"He's not. He's strong. But he needs you to pull yourself together and save him. You're his father. It's your job to be there for him when he needs you. Right now, he needs you more than ever. So you're not going to give up."

"I know he needs me. I wasn't there to save him. I should have been there."

"There was no way for you to know. But now you do. You know  _ why _ they took him. Now you need to find out  _ who _ took him."

. . . . .

Peter struggled to stay on his toes. His muscles trembled and cramped with exertion, and after only an hour, he felt the blindfold dampen with tears of pain. He had tried to wiggle out of the shackles, but they wouldn't budge. He wished he could see. At least then he wouldn't feel so trapped. He rested his chin on his chest and tried to stay balanced. Every movement, every heartbeat sent throbbing bolts of agony through his arm.

He was so thirsty. His tongue felt like sandpaper against the roof of his mouth. It felt swollen and clumsy. There was barely enough moisture to swallow. He would do almost anything for a glass of water. He couldn't even remember the last time he had anything to drink.  _ Lunch? Is it even the same day? Who knows what they keep injecting me with. For all I know, I could have lost whole days. Was this the first time we've moved? If I could see, I'd at least know what time it is. _

He whimpered when his leg cramped, and he tried to relax the muscle. The change in balance pulled on his broken arm, and he couldn't help the sob that forced its way out.  _ I don't know what to do. _

He flinched when the door slammed open, shuddering as he listened to one of the men stomp down the stairs. He walked over and stopped a few feet away from his captive. Peter gasped when he started lowering. He tried to keep as much weight off his arm as his knees met the floor.

He jolted to a stop when Creep shouted and ran down the stairs. "What are you doing?"

"This isn't what I signed on for. He'll kill us for this!"

"I don't care!"

"Well, I do! I'm not dying so you can fulfill some sick dream of revenge! I actually need the money!"

Peter tracked Creep as he moved closer to his partner. His voice was calm, but there was a hard edge to it that scared Peter. He tried to stay as quiet as possible so as not to draw attention. 

"You should have left while you could," Creep stated before something splashed over Peter's face. He screamed, knowing the smell of blood.  _ He killed him! Oh, God, he killed him! I'm gonna be sick!  _ His body was numb with panic and fear as he listened to his kidnapper dying on the floor. The man gurgled for a few seconds before silence filled the room.

_ Oh, God. He's- he's going to kill me. I don't- Oh, God. Don't kill me! Please, I don't want to die! _

"Dammit! Why didn't you just leave when I gave you the chance!"

Peter couldn't hold his fear back any longer as ragged sobs forced their way through his body.  _ Please, dad. You have to hurry. _

. . . . .

Tony was losing his mind. He couldn't figure out who the kidnappers were. All he wanted to do was find his son and never let him out of his sight ever again. 

He was comparing voice patterns when an email popped up on his screen. The man closed his eyes and tried not to scream.

"They sent another one."

"Tony . . ."

"I have to know, Pepper. I have to know what they did. This is all my fault. I have to know." His voice trembled, but his tone left no room for argument.

He took a breath and tried to prepare himself before he pressed play.

The screen flashed to life, and the same green-eyed masked man from the previous video filled the frame. They could hear muffled sobs, and when he stepped to the side, they both gasped. Peter was on his knees, suspended from the ceiling. His hands were dangling from cuffs that hung from a pulley system. He couldn't seem to stay completely upright and was listing awkwardly to the side. His arm looked even more misshapen than it had earlier. He was still blindfolded and gagged, and his body shook as he cried. There was blood splattered on his face and shirt, and Tony's breath hitched at the sight. 

Tony brought his hand up to touch the screen as tears trailed down his cheeks. His eyes scanned the rest of the room, finally seeing a body on the floor. It was half out of the frame, but judging by the pool of blood, the person was dead.

"Oh my, God," Pepper whispered. She placed a hand on her husband's arm, but Tony couldn't look away from his son. He was crying and trembling and trying to stay upright. He was utterly helpless, he wouldn't know what was coming, and even if he did, he wouldn't be able to stop it. Tony couldn't help but feel responsible for everything.

"Listen, kid. I don't want to hurt you. Honestly, I have nothing against you other than your last name. But I've come too far to turn back now. I'm sorry you had to be his kid. Luck of the draw, I guess." As he spoke, he made his way out of the screen. Peter gasped when his arms jolted upward.

_ You bastard. How could you do this to someone? You killed your partner in front of him and now your acting like nothing happened?! I can't wait to get my hands on you. _

When Peter was straining on his toes, the man started walking in slow circles around him.

"When the Chitarui attacked, my son died. He was trapped under a pile of debris for hours before a rescue crew found him. They told me he suffocated. There wasn't enough oxygen in the air pocket he was trapped in. He laid there in pain for hours, waiting for someone to help him. None of his injuries were life-threatening. He could have lived if your father and the others that call themselves heroes never started a war. He would still be here!" 

His anger rose as he spoke, making Peter flinch away from the harsh words.

"None of that was his fault," Tony whispered.

"Now, your father will know exactly how I felt. Maybe then he'll understand that the world would be better off without heroes!"

He stomped out of frame before he came back wielding a crowbar.

"No! No, Don't!"

The man strode over to Peter and pulled back before swinging his weapon at one of Peter's legs. They could do nothing but watch as Peter screamed.

"Oh, God. Oh, Peter," Pepper whispered.

The man moved slightly before striking the left leg. Peter screamed again before going limp.

"I hope the next time you think about flying around and playing hero, you remember this moment," he growled before the screen went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments make me super happy! They will also motivate me to work on the end of this fic! (I need some motivation, people!)


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter tries to think of a way to escape while Nat, Rhodey, Tony, Pepper, and Happy frantically search for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: This chapter isn't as brutal as the last one. There is more language in it. It's probably worse in this chapter than any others before and after it. Sorry about that. There are also vague mentions of death (from the last chapter), and a gunfight.
> 
> Enjoy!

It had been five hours since they received the last video, and Tony didn't know what to do. He'd tried everything he could think of to figure out who the kidnappers were. He had F.R.I.D.A.Y. hack into a dozen different databases for information. 

The video kept playing on repeat in his head. He couldn't stop hearing Peter's screams. The sounds of his bones breaking. The way he went limp. And the dead body.  _ That monster killed his partner in front of my son. He was already scared out of his mind before that. And now he's being tortured. God, why did it have to be him? Why didn't they just come after me? _

"Boss, I have enacted the Scary-Redhead-Protocol."

Tony jumped at the A.I.'s voice as it jolted him from his thoughts. He looked over as Pepper walk toward him.

"What does that mean, Tony?" She sounded worried.

"That means I'm about to die." He sighed and turned toward the door to prepare himself for her wrath.

They could feel the anger before she walked through the door.

"Why the  _ fuck _ did you not call me!"

"I-I . . . Well, we-" 

"Peter was kidnapped, and you didn't call me? I had to find out from the news?"

"I-"

"Shut it, Stark. The only reason you're still breathing is because Peter needs you." If looks could kill, Tony would be dead ten times over. "And by the way. Rhodey is almost as upset as I am."

"Shit."

"More like bullshit, Stark. As soon as we have Peter back, you and I are going to have a little chat."

Tony looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. "With everything that's been happening, I haven't really thought of anyone but Peter."

"And clearly that's working out. He's home and safe?"

"No-"

"Right. I can help. And Rhodey has access to data basses you could never hope to hack into. Not fast enough, anyway."

She stared him down until he nodded in agreement. "Now, tell me what we're working with."

. . . . .

Pepper wished she could do something to help her husband. Ever since Nat and Rhodey had shown up, he'd been trying to keep himself together. If she didn't know him like she did, she might have believed it. His face showed little emotion, but his tense shoulders and fearful, worried eyes told a different story. Tony's eyes had softened when Peter had come into their lives. He was a lot easier to read now.

She remembered the day he found out he had a son. He didn't want anyone to know, but she could see how devastated he'd been when the mother contacted him. The fact that Obie had been paying her off to keep it quiet was another betrayal to add to everything else he'd done.

When Peter's mother died, Tony was so scared to meet him. He'd been watching them for months, but he had always felt that it was too late to be a part of Peter's life. He was too afraid of turning out like his father. So, when Peter came to live with them, Tony was afraid that he would hurt the eight-year-old somehow.

He stopped drinking and partying. He cleaned up his act for his son. She was so proud of the man he'd become.

Now they needed to find Peter and bring him home. Tony was deteriorating, and Pepper didn't know how much more he could take before he broke.

The fact that he hadn't slept in almost two days wasn't helping. Every time Pepper tried to get him to eat or rest, he refused. Finally, Rhodey had to step in and force him to take a break.

"Tony, you need to rest."

"Peter needs me; I have to find him before they hurt him again." Rhodey sighed and swiped his hand over the screen to close it. "Hey!" Tony yelled before he turned to shout at the other man.

Rhodey placed his hands on Tony's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Listen to me. You need to eat and rest. If we found Peter right now, you would collapse before we could get to him. I'll keep looking, and if I find anything that could help us, I'll wake you. You can barely keep your eyes open, and your hands are shaking. You haven't slept in two days, and I'm sure that you haven't eaten in almost as long. Peter is going to need you to be fully functioning. You need to take a break." He watched as emotions warred in the man's eyes and hoped that he wouldn't have to bring out the sedative.

"If you find  _ anything _ , you wake me up."

"I promise, Tony."

Tony stared him in the eyes for a moment before he nodded. "Fine, I'll get some sleep."

Pepper sighed in relief before she walked over. "Come on. I need some sleep too," she said as she grabbed the deflated man's arm. She smiled in thanks over her shoulder before she led him out of the lab.

. . . . .

When Peter awoke, his breathing and heart rate sky-rocketed as intense pain overtook his every sense. His arm burned and throbbed from holding his weight, but even the barest pressure on his toes caused agony to spike through his legs. He didn't know what to do; he was trapped and hurt, and there was no one there to help him. He had never felt so powerless before. He had no control over what was going to happen. That thought made his fear worse, and his breathing wouldn't slow. The more he wanted it to, the faster it got. The movement put more strain on his injuries, and he could feel his tears soaking the blindfold.

_ Calm down! You're Spider-Man; Spider-Man never gives up! _ He chanted it over and over until his breathing slowed; until he believed that it was true.  _ I've never given up before, Not even when Dad took my suit and I had to fight Vulture in my old one. Speaking of Dad, he would think it through and come up with a plan. _

He made a mental check-list of everything he knew:

  1. We've moved at least once.



_ Hopefully, that means we're still in the city. I can't be sure, though, I lose time whenever I'm injected with . . . whatever that stuff is. _

  1. Creep killed his partner.



_ God, I can't believe he did that. He's gonna kill me too. I have to get out of here before he- Okay, okay, just- don't think about it. Focus on escaping. _

  1. He knows I'm Spider-Man.



_ How else could he have made a sedative that works on my metabolism? How did he make it? Did he get ahold of my blood somehow? Does he work for Stark Industries? Does he have outside help? Apart from- _

  1. He's stayed under the radar so far.



_ If he keeps sending videos, then Dad will be able to find me. It doesn't matter how computer savvy he is, F.R.I.D.A.Y. is way smarter than them. She'll figure it out. _

His arm cramped, and his thoughts turned to the pain. It was all he could think about as it burned through his nerves. He cried as he worried about what was going to happen the next time Creep came down the stairs. It was his last thought before he blacked out again.

Peter woke an undeterminable amount of time later when the door at the top of the stairs flew open and banged against the wall. The sound startled him awake, pulling a pained groan from his lips. He held back a whimper of fear when Creep spoke.

"We need to move," he stated as he stomped down the steps. Peter tried to shake his head in protest as the chain started to lower. He screamed when his legs touched the ground, and as he continued to drop, all he could do was try to protect his injuries. Everything hurt, and he was grateful when he finally rested against the floor, trembling in anticipation.

"We have to get out of here before he finds you," the man seemed to say to himself as he unlocked the shackles.  _ Who? _

After listening to the man shift around the room, Peter brought his hand up to remove the tape from his mouth. "Don't you dare," the man growled, making Peter flinch. He lowered his hand in defeat and fear. "Great, now I have to carry you," the man spat before he started to lift the teen. Peter yelped and lashed out with his left arm before he could think of the repercussions. Creep dropped him a split second before he fell unconscious.

. . . . .

Rhodey and Natasha had been at it for nearly three hours. F.R.I.D.A.Y. had told them everything she knew in about thirty minutes before they dove in.

The first thing Rhodey did was run the voice through the military database. Then he went through the footage, the witness statements, the anonymous tips — anything and everything that had any relation to Peter's kidnapping.

Nat reached out to some of her less than reputable connections to see if word of Peter's kidnapping had spread. She tried everyone who could have heard about it, but no one knew anything more than they did. She was ready to scream when she heard Rhodey sigh in defeat.

He dropped his head into his hands in defeat after he had gone over everything he could find for a second time. There was nothing here to help them find Peter.

"Anything?" Nat asked.

He opened his mouth to answer when the system beeped. He had gotten a match to the voice. Finally, they had a lead. "FRI! Wake the others! Tell them that I found something!" he shouted before he started reading through the file.

Nat ran over and started reading over his shoulder.

They weren't even halfway through when Tony came flying around the corner. He stumbled and almost fell before he righted himself. Pepper and Happy weren't far behind, and once everyone gathered around the screen, Rhodey told them what he had found.

"I ran the voice through the military database and got a match." A picture filled the screen. He had green eyes, sharp cheekbones, and a cleft chin. "His name is Edward Paul Collins, he's 36 years old, and has no living family. He had a son, Daniel Edward Collins; his mother died of cancer when he was four, so it was just him and his dad. Until 2012 when Loki and the Chitauri attacked."

"He died in the invasion," Tony whispered.

"Daniel would have been a few months older than Peter," Peper whispered.

"That's why he went after Peter. Why didn't he just come after me?!" he shouted. "It should have been me! It was my fault! Peter had nothing to do with any of that!"

"It's not your fault, Tony," Pepper tried to assure him.

"It is. I should have been able to protect him. God, why didn't I get there in time?"

"Pepper's right, Tony. Now shut up and let the man speak," Nat barked.

"How come Tony didn't find him earlier?" Happy asked.

"A lot of the people that died in the invasion had government-funded funerals. Edward's son was on the list. The reason the voice recognition picked it up is because they had to go through an interview process to qualify."

Everyone started when the system beeped again. "Edward has a house in his son's name. It's in Queens." Tony turned to his suit, but Rhodey grabbed his arm before he could step in. "We need a plan. Let's call it in. The police can get there before us. Happy can drive."

"I need to go now."

"You can't keep flying around the city. We need to keep a low profile," Nat countered.

"I need to get my son," Tony growled before yanking his arm free.

Pepper stood in his way as she tried to think of what would convince him to listen to reason. "If you go flying in there, the guy will know you're coming. People are going to plaster you all over social media as soon as you leave the tower. We need to be smart about this. Please, Tony."

He closed his eyes in defeat and nodded agreement. "Fine."

"I'll call it in on the way," Rhodey offered as they all headed toward the elevator.

. . . . .

Peter woke to gunshots, his face pressed uncomfortably into the gravel of what he assumed was a driveway. _ Why can't I wake up in my bed for once? _

His Spidey Sense was going crazy, but he still couldn't see. Even if he could, he didn't have the energy to move.  _ Please be a rescue. _

He held as still as he could and hoped that no one shot him. He could hear someone off to his left; their shoes crunched on the gravel as they shifted.  _ Creep _ , he speculated. He was only a few feet away.

He could hear others a few yards in front of him. They were shouting something, but he couldn't quite make it out. He tried to listen to the voices, praying that it was his dad, but he couldn’t focus.

_ At least I'm not in the direct line of fire _ , he thought before another shot went off. Someone grunted, and then there was a thump to his left.  _ I hope he's dead. God, that's a terrible thing to think. But . . . at least he can't hurt anyone else now. _

He wondered if these new people were there to help or hurt him.  _ Please don't hurt me. _

There was more shouting before someone approached him. He listened to them draw closer before unconsciousness pulled him under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think in the comments!


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony uncovers new evidence in Peter's kidnapping, and Peter meets the man behind his kidnapping(s).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost forgot to post this today! I'm glad I remembered!
> 
> Warnings: Some violence and maybe a little swearing.

When Happy pulled the car up outside of the house, the area was swarming with police. Tony almost face-planted as he scrambled to get out of the vehicle.  _ Oh, God, Peter. Please be okay. _ He ran to the police line and tried to shove his way through, but a young officer stopped him. He glared at the man, and when he shouted at him, he looked like he was ready to faint. "My son is in there! Let me through!"

"Johnson! Let him through," a man yelled. Tony shoved his way past and walked up to the man. "Mr. Stark, I'm detective Benton. I understand that you called in one of the tips. You said that you believed your son was being held here?"

"Yes. He was taken yesterday, and the man that took him owns this house."

"Edward Collins, yes, we found his body in the driveway and the body of an unidentified man in the kitchen. Neither is your son, but there was a witness that said two men showed up and shot Collins before they took a second person with them. It was most likely your son, but that was over an hour ago. We put a BOLO out on the car, and we will update the Amber Alert. I'll contact the detective in charge of your son's case and make sure they get everything they need." He paused and gave the father a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry about your son, Mr. Stark," he said before he walked away.

Tony watched the detective's retreating form for a moment before he turned and made his way toward the car.

_ What is happening? He was kidnapped from his kidnappers? There's got to be more to this than that. Were they working together, and they had different ideas? Were they upset about the loss of the money? _

When he finally made it back to the car, everyone gave him confused and expectant looks. 

"What did he say?" Rhodey asked.

Tony was silent for a few seconds before he looked up. "Collins and his partner are dead. Someone else took Peter." He turned and slid into the car. Everyone exchanged worried looks before they took their seats and drove back toward the tower.

_ Why do I lose everyone I care about? Did I do something in my past life to deserve this? Am I cursed? _

Pepper tried to talk to her husband, but he would only shrug and give one-word answers. She could tell that he was deep in thought and that she wouldn't be able to get anything else out of him for a while. She settled for holding his hand and smiled when he gave a gentle squeeze in thanks.

. . . . .

Peter's body burned with pain. He whimpered and tried not to move. He was lying on something much softer than a gravel driveway.

The tape and blindfold were gone, so he cracked his eyes open. Everything was blurry and unfocused. Blobs of shapes and colors moved in and out of his line of sight.

He tried to concentrate on his hearing when his vision wouldn't clear. There were voices, and he tried to make out what they were saying. One of them sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"It's going to be okay, Peter."

_ I'm okay. Everything's okay, _ he thought before unconsciousness claimed him once again.

. . . . .

Tony was back in the lab as soon as they returned from the crime scene. He kept muttering under his breath in angry huffs as he scoured any information he could find about Peter's kidnappers.

Rhodey told Happy and Pepper to get some more sleep while he tried to help Tony. Nat said she wanted to meet some of her contacts in person before she left as well.

He watched them leave before he walked over to his friend. "Hey," he said as he pulled a chair over. The billionaire ignored him as he opened another screen. "What's going on in that big brain of yours?" He waited a moment for a response, and when he didn't get one, he placed a hand on the man's arm. "Talk to me."

Tony closed his eyes and sighed. When he looked at his friend, Rhodey could see the exhaustion and fear that he couldn't quite hide.

"Something doesn't feel right," he whispered. "Collins had a government-funded funeral for his son a few years ago. That means he didn't have enough money to pay for it himself. Those people that helped stage the car accident wouldn't have done it for free. He would have had to pay them. I looked over his bank statements; he didn't have any money to do that. And the other guy, Michael Williams, he doesn't have any money either."

Rhodey nodded along before he registered what Tony had said. "Wait, I thought they didn't know who the other guy was."

"I had FRI hack the case files. He had a few arrests; petty theft, drug dealing, burglary. Nothing that suggested he would attempt kidnapping. They made the ID pretty fast."

Rhodey stared at his friend for a moment before he shook his head. "You can't just hack into any and every server you want, Tony," he stated halfheartedly. "You could get into some serious trouble if you get caught."

"This is Peter we're talking about. Besides, I covered our tracks. No one will ever know," he said. "Anyway, Collins either got the money somewhere, or someone paid him to take Peter. Which means he was a middleman, and they either killed him because he was no longer needed or because he deviated from the plan." There was an excited light in the man's eyes as he spoke his theory aloud.

"That makes a lot of sense," James agreed. "Did you find any evidence of them being paid off?"

Tony's face fell a little, and Rhodey knew the answer from his expression. "Not yet," he answered, frustration clear in his voice. He turned back to the screen and started to type furiously once again.

A sudden thought struck him. He looked over the files on the screen before turning back to his friend. "He had a house in his son's name, right? Why not a bank account?"

"I didn't even think of that!" Tony exclaimed before he turned to the keyboard. It only took a few minutes to find the account, and when it popped up, both men stood in shocked silence. "Oh, my God. He was paid off," Tony whispered in disbelief. "Who would… Why? I don't understand," he stuttered in confusion.  _ Who would want to kidnap Peter? Do they want to use him to get to me? Or was that just Collins going after his revenge? Maybe whoever hired him found out, and it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with Spider-Man. Oh, God, Peter. How would they even know that he was Spider-Man? He looked up when his friend spoke. _

"He must have taken the money and then went over whoever paid him to fulfill his own revenge," Rhodey voiced Tony's thoughts aloud.

"Who would have the funds for this kind of operation? And if they didn't know he was Spider-Man, he would have escaped by now. So, how did they figure it out?" He and Rhodey exchanged a worried look before Tony told F.R.I.D.A.Y. to go through every Stark Industries employee. They needed to find a connection between Collins and S.I.

_ I'm going to figure this out, Peter. Just hold on a little longer. _

. . . . .

Pain.

It was the only thing Peter could think about.

_ Stop. _

It throbbed through his body in sharp flares of agony.

_ Please. _

His legs, his arms, his head -- everything hurt so much.

_ Please! _

Then there were hands.

_ No! _

They pinned him down, held him still so they could hurt him more.

_ Please! _

Pain so intense, he would scream if he could.

_ Am I screaming? _

He couldn't tell. The only thought going through his mind was the agony.

_ Make it stop! _

Distant shouting crept into his awareness. Voices full of panic and anger. The weight holding him in place vanished. Then that voice, the one that had been there when he awoke last, spoke with a soothing rumble. He latched onto it as if his life depended on it. Maybe it did.

It distracted him from the pain that burned throughout his whole being. He could feel warm breath on his ear, and even when he couldn't decipher the words, the tone was gentle, caring. It made him feel safe.

_ Safe? _

A familiar pinch pulled him back into peaceful darkness.

. . . . .

Peter was warm. He scrunched his face in confusion and shifted his head to the side. He was lying down on something soft, and he could see light through his eyelids. He cracked them open to investigate, squinting against the brightness as he waited for his eyes to adjust. Once he could look around, he realized that he was in an unfamiliar room. His breathing sped up, and his gaze flew around the foreign surroundings.

The room looked about ten feet by ten feet, had bare white walls, and one door. There was the bed he was lying in, and a small table to his right. That was it: no windows, no pictures, just stark white walls.  _ So I traded one prison for another. I hope the people here are nicer than my previous captors. _

He tried to slow his breathing as he surveyed his injuries. The pain was at a dull throb, a significant improvement from the last time he was awake. His right arm was in a cast, and when he sat up and flipped the covers off, he saw both of his legs encased in plaster as well.

He was wearing grey shorts and a white t-shirt. He shivered when he thought about someone changing his clothes while he was unconscious.  _ Who saved me? Did they want to help me or hurt me? If they rescued me, wouldn't I be in a hospital? Only I could be kidnapped from my kidnappers. It's going to be a lot harder for Dad to find me now. I don't even know if I'm in the same state anymore. _

Peter yelped when the door opened. He looked up and gasped in surprise. A man hobbled forward, favoring his left leg and using a cane for support. The teen couldn't believe his eyes. “O-Obie? You . . . How? I-I don't . . . You died . . ."  _ I'm dead. Or I'm hallucinating. Maybe I'm having a vivid dream? _

"No, Peter. I am very much alive."

"But . . . They said . . . Your plane- it crashed. Everyone died. You . . . You died…"

"I thought a plane crash was a poor choice, but I guess they couldn't go with the truth." The man sighed and leaned on his cane. The skin on his hands, neck, and left side of his face was horribly burned. The skin was pale in some places and red in others. It was a grotesque mosaic of damage. "It's not polite to stare."

"I'm sorry," Peter said before looking into the man's eyes. "I can't believe you're alive. There was a funeral and everything."

"Yes. Leave it to Tony to make my death a tragedy. I suppose it's better than dragging me through the mud like I would have done if our situations were reversed." His face twisted into something that resembled a smile, but it looked more like a grimace. 

His statement made Peter feel even more uneasy. "My dad would never-"

"Do not talk about him," the man growled as a dark look filled his features.

"But, he-"

"I said. Don't." Peter shrank back at the look on Obie's face. "You will not mention him in any way, or you will regret it." He took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then let it out.

He nodded when Peter stayed quiet, moving to the side as another man walked in. He had a syringe in his hand, and Peter snapped out of his stunned silence. "Wait! I don't understand! What's going on?!" He tried to scramble away from the stranger, but his injuries hindered his movements. He didn't even make it off of the bed before the man grabbed his arm. He yelped and flung his arm out to push the threat away.

The man screamed and flew across the room, crashing into the wall before he fell to the floor, unconscious. Peter looked on in horror as a small trickle of blood slid down his face.  _ My powers are back. _

A few seconds later, four men rushed into the room and ran straight for him. Peter, confused and terrified, fought against the men in desperation. He managed to shove one man to the floor before two others pinned his arms to the bed. The third turned his head to the side and held him in place. Peter thrashed and shouted as the man approached, needle in hand, and a grim look on his face.

"No! Please, Obie!" Peter pleaded as he tried to maneuver his leg up to kick one of the men. He swung the limb up and pushed the man away, not watching him fly through the air. He turned and used his arm to shove the third man away and was about to turn to the last man when the needle pierced his skin. The fluid flooded into his blood, stealing Peter's strength in seconds. "No." His eyes slid shut, and his body went limp as the drug took effect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm thinking about doing an MCU focused bad things happen bingo series. Would anyone be interested in that?


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony learns new information linked to Peter's kidnapping, and Peter learns about some of Obie's plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY!!!!! LIFE GOT CRAZY, AND THEN I FORGOT TO POST THIS!!!! PLEASE DON'T HATE ME!!!
> 
> TW: Non-consensual drug use, violence, threats of violence/torture
> 
> Also, I have another beta! Thank you so much, katilange! You're the greatest!

After twenty-four hours of searching, all Tony and Rhodey managed to find was a connection between Collins and three S.I. employees. Freddy Dalton, Linda Parks, and Stephen Ross. They had all been receiving deposits over the past two years from the same account that paid Collins and Williams.

The problem was, they still couldn't figure out who managed the account. All they knew was that the name on the account was John Smith. There were over 44,000 people named John Smith in the United States alone. They suspected that it was an alias, but Tony had F.R.I.D.A.Y. going through all of them anyway.

Tony was losing his mind. They hadn't heard anything from the new kidnappers. He couldn't stop thinking about never seeing his son again. If his disappearance was connected to Spider-Man, then it would be harder for him to escape.  _ What if they're experimenting on him? What if he's hurt and scared and the people that have him don't care? What if they don't see him as a human because of his powers? The bite changed his DNA; a lot of people would see him as a mutant. God, Pete. How do we get ourselves into these messes? _

Every time someone told him that he needed a break, he glared at them and told them to stop treating him like a baby. They didn't want to do it, but Happy, Pepper, and Rhodey had to resort to knocking Tony out with a mild sedative. It had been nearly fifty hours since Peter's kidnapping, and Tony had only slept for a collective six hours. He had a solid three hours yesterday and a few cat naps here and there since.

So, Rhodey slipped a sleeping pill into the soup they had convinced him to eat. They wouldn't need much to force his body to stop; he had managed to get most of the way there on his own.

Happy stood on one side and James on the other. When Tony collapsed, they caught him and carried him to the couch. Once they had him settled, everyone left to catch up on their own sleep. They had been too worried about everything that had happened to get much sleep themselves.

Tony slept for almost sixteen hours. He woke rested, and he no longer looked like death warmed over. They convinced him to sit down and eat a real meal with them before he got back to searching for his son.

Everyone hoped that a clue would at least tell them whether he was alive or not.

. . . . .

When Peter woke, he felt numb. He groaned and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes only to discover that he couldn't move.

Memories flooded his mind, and his eyes flew open as he started to struggle against the shackles that secured him to the bed. He pulled with every ounce of strength he possessed, but all he managed to do was dent the plaster casts on three of his limbs. He slumped back to the mattress and tried to slow his breathing.

He wasn't in any pain, but he wondered what other drugs they had pumped him full of to accomplish the numbness. His eyes stung with tears as he wondered what Obie wanted. All he wanted to do was curl up into a ball and cry until his dad saved him.  _ Calm down, Spider-Man! Quit whining and think for a minute! _

Closed his eyes, he updated his mental checklist.

  1. Creep is dead.



_ At least I hope he is. _

  1. They need him alive



_ They patched me up, so they probably won't kill me. At least not yet. _

  1. They moved him again.



_ I hope I'm still in New York. _

  1. They know I'm Spider-Man.



_ Obie's been dead since I was six. I became Spider-Man less than two years ago. How did he even find out? There has to be someone on the inside that told him. Did he plant spies in SI? If the media had found out my secret identity, they would have plastered it everywhere. _

  1. Obie has someone in S.I. feeding him information.



_ Not good at all. Who knows how many secrets he's found out. _

He lost himself in his thoughts until the door opened. The sudden noise startled him, and he looked up to see Obadiah limping through the door. The man had a tray in his free hand, and Peter hoped that it was food. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten.

"Good morning, Peter," he said with a smile. "I hope you slept well." He sat in a chair that hadn't been there earlier before he placed the tray on the small table.

"You drugged me and then tied me down."

"Yes, well, you weren't cooperating. I brought you some food. I'm sure you're hungry after the ordeal that you've been through."

Peter's eyes fell on the tray. It had a bowl of fresh fruit, a bowl of vegetables, and a sandwich cut into four. It wasn't much, but Peter would take anything right now. He nodded as his mouth watered.

"Good," Obie said with a smile. He looked at his prisoner with serious eyes for a moment before he spoke. "I'm going to remove the restraint on your left wrist and lengthen the ones on your ankles. If you try anything, I will make you regret it. Do you understand?"

Fear flashed through Peter's thoughts at the man's tone. "Yes," Peter assured, cursing himself when his voice trembled.

Obie nodded and released his left arm before he lengthened his leg restraints. Peter waited until the man stepped away to move into a more comfortable position. That's when he realized he had some kind of bracelet on. He brought his wrist up to examine it, turning his arm over several times as he tried to find a latch.

"It's a tracking device. It also monitors your vitals. And, if you misbehave," he paused and pulled a small remote out of his pocket. "I can press this button, and it will shock you." Peter looked from the remote to the bracelet, a look of horror written across his eyes. "If you cooperate, I won't have to use it."

After he had said his piece, he lifted the tray and handed it over. Peter stared at it for a moment before he shook his head and started eating the food. As soon as the sandwich hit his tongue, he sighed in relief and shoved the whole piece into his mouth. He barely chewed before swallowing and pushing another piece in. He cleared the food away in minutes and wished that there was more.

Obie laughed and took the tray from him, setting it back on the table before his eyes turned back to Peter.

"Now, I'm sure you are wondering why you are here," he paused, and the teen nodded. "First, I want to apologize for the way that man treated you. I didn't want to risk being seen out in the open, so I hired some people to get you for me. He was supposed to bring you straight to me, but he decided to disregard my plan. I was very upset when he didn't show up, and when I sent out some of my men to find you, I was shocked at your condition. I knew he had a grudge against your father, but I didn't think he would act on it."

Peter gaped at the man in shock.  _ He knew, and he still hired him?! He would have killed me! Oh, God, what if we had gotten away? _

"I need you to breathe, Peter. Take a deep breath."

Peter realized that he was almost hyperventilating. He closed his eyes as he tried to follow the man's instructions. After a few minutes, he had slowed his breathing to a normal rate, and Obie continued.

"I want to recreate your powers. I have a few blood samples, but they aren't enough. I needed you so that I could study your powers and have access to more samples. If you cooperate, I will make this as painless as possible. I won't hurt you unless you make me."

_ You are crazy if you think I'm going to let you do that. What are you going to use it for anyway? _ "I don't understand. Why do you want to recreate my powers?"

"That's not for you to know," he said before standing. He moved to reattach the restraint, but the teen flinched away. "Peter," he growled in warning. "What did I say about cooperating?"

"Tell me why you want to recreate my powers."

The man's smile fell before he said, "I already told you. You don't need to know."

"Why? Are you going to hurt people? Make a weapon, maybe? If that's the case, I won't help you!" Peter pushed the man away and moved to release himself.

He managed to get his right arm free before agony burned through his body. He screamed as his muscles started to seize before he collapsed back to the bed. It only lasted a few seconds, and as soon as the pain lessened, Peter gasped for breath, and he tried to relax his twitching body. He felt tears on his face and reached up to wipe them away, but someone grabbed his arm and started to tie him back down. He groaned and tried to pull away, but he was still weak.

He opened his eyes and saw two men strapping him down. He recognized them from the last time he had been awake. One had a black eye and a brace on his wrist, and the other had stitches in his head. He grunted and pulled his arm away again, this time succeeding before he shoved one of them away. The man stumbled back before anger crossed his face. He marched back over and punched Peter in the face. The teen cried out as his head snapped to the side.

When he opened his eyes again, Obie was holding a syringe. He waited for the men to finish before he walked toward his prisoner.

"Wait, Obie. Don't," he said as he pulled against his bonds. The man's face was utterly blank, void of any emotion. But his eyes swam with anger and disappointment, and Peter almost felt bad for fighting back.

_ He hired a psycho to kidnap me, and now he wants to use my powers to make a weapon. There's no need for me to feel sorry. _

Peter grew desperate and thrashed against his bonds as tears escaped his eyes. "Don't do this!" He tried not to lose it completely.  _ I know I can't get away now, but later, when I'm not drugged unconscious or tied down, I'm going to find a way to escape. _

"We can try again later. I think you need some time to think about what we've discussed." Obadiah watched Peter's struggling turn to panicked flailing when he stopped by the head of the bed. He grabbed Peter's arm and tried to slide the needle into his inner elbow, but the teen was thrashing, and he couldn't get a good hold. Obie grew tired of fighting. He grabbed his cane and brought it down hard on Peter's abdomen. Peter gasped in surprise, freezing at the unexpected assault. He took the opportunity to inject the sedative and backed away.

Peter fought against the drug for a few seconds before his eyes fluttered shut, and his body went limp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Leave me a comment if you have a moment!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony reminisces about happy memories with Peter. Peter tries to decide whether or not to help his captor, and Tony finds more clues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on time this week! This chapter is almost 400 words longer than the last one, so I hope that makes up for me being late last week!
> 
> TW: Maybe some language, but I think that's it.

Tony sighed in defeat after another day with no news about his son. He threw his tablet down with more force than necessary, and it slid across the desk, knocking a picture over before it fell to the floor. He grabbed the picture and stood it back up, smiling at the joy-filled face of his nine-year-old son. Pepper took the photo about a year after Peter came to live with him.

Tony was terrified the day they met. He couldn't help but wonder if the eight-year-old would hate him for not being around. It took a while, Peter needed to heal from the loss of his mother, but he opened up to his newfound father quickly. All Tony had to do was show Peter one of the Iron Man suits, and the kid light up like a Christmas tree.

Tony fell for the adorable mini-me. He quit bringing girls home. He partied less and slowly weaned himself off of alcohol. His heart softened, and he grew to love hugs and snuggles and Disney movies. He did it all for the little boy that was so much like him. He couldn't bear the thought of hurting Peter as his father hurt him.

A few short weeks later, Tony realized he would do anything for his kid. He would move mountains for Peter if he only asked.

He wished he could go back and be a true father from day one. He wished he had more time before the universe went crazy. Before Loki and the Chitauri attacked. Before Peter got his powers.

Tony perked up when F.R.I.D.A.Y. interrupted his thoughts.

"I've found something, Boss," She announced.

_ Please tell me it's Peter. _ "What is it?" he asked.

"Facial recognition for Freddy Dalton. Last seen twenty minutes ago at a Sunoco Gas station in Cleveland, Ohio. 1690 Columbus Road."

"Alert the police. Tell them he was involved in Peter's kidnapping. He might know where he is."

"On it, Boss."

He dropped his head into his hands and tried to resist the urge to grab a drink. 

_ Please, don't let us be too late. _ The longer Peter was missing, the more Tony thought that he'd never see him again. There had been no contact for days, and he worried about what his son was going through.  _ Are they hurting him? Is he scared and alone and wondering if I'm going to find him in time? Is he even alive?  _ He felt tears dampen his face at the thought _. Please don't take him from me. _

"Tony?" Rhodey asked as he approached his friend. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" The fear in his voice was evident as he placed a hand on the billionaire's shoulder.

"FRI found one of the S.I. employees."

"That's good news, right?"

"Yeah," he responded as he tried to pull himself together. "I'm just- Do you think-"

"What, Tony."

"Do you think he's still . . . alive?"

"Oh, Tony." He dipped his head to catch his friend's eyes. "Honestly, I don't know. But I think you need to believe that he is. You can't give up hope. I know Peter never would."

"Yeah, I know. I'm- I can't lose him."

"We're going to find him. We have to keep searching."

"Boss," F.R.I.D.A.Y. interrupted. "Freddy Dalton has been taken into custody. I've informed the detective in charge of the case."

"Thanks, F.R.I. I think I'll hack into their server and watch the interrogation myself."

Rhodey smirked and rolled his eyes before he turned to help.

. . . . .

When Peter woke, he wondered how many more times he’d have to open his eyes to the blank white ceiling before he escaped. Or died. He shuddered at the thought and scolded himself for thinking it in the first place.  _ I’m going to get out of here. I just need a plan. _

Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to stave off the headache he could feel building. He couldn’t feel any of his injuries, and he wondered if it was from the drug they kept giving him or the stress of being kidnapped.  _ Hey, Dad! Guess what? Obie is alive! He’s a psychopath now, though. _

He pulled at the restraints to test his strength, gritting his teeth with effort before he collapsed back to the bed.  _ It’s like I never got my powers. _ He could still hear things that a normal person couldn’t; his heart pumping blood through his veins, someone shutting a door down the hall, the electricity whirring through the room.  _ I wonder if there are cameras in here. _ He looked around and tried to see if he could find any. His eyesight was still enhanced too. He could see the lines in the paint from the brush, the dirty fingerprints around the doorknob, and there, in the vent in the corner of the ceiling, he could see the shiny, reflective surface of a camera lens.  _ Great, they’ve been watching me this whole time. I definitely need to get out of here. _

He laid there for a while as he tried to think of a way to escape.  _ I’ll cooperate enough to make Obie think he doesn’t need to tie me down. Then I’ll wait for the right moment to get out. _ He smiled at the thought of seeing his dad again.  _ He probably hasn’t been taking care of himself. I hope Pepper and Happy can get through to him. _

His smile fell when he thought about Happy. He hadn’t thought about anyone but himself since everything happened and he hoped that the man was okay.  _ Did they hurt him when they took me? He wouldn’t just sit there and let it happen. _ He felt tears of shame sting his eyes, and he blinked them away. He didn’t want anyone to see him crying and think he was afraid and hopeless.

He took several deep breaths to calm himself before his thoughts drifted back to his escape.  _ I’ll get out of here and make sure Happy knows how grateful I am that he’s in my life. _

He squirmed a little as he tried to find a more comfortable position. That’s when he felt the bracelet. He looked down at his wrist and cursed under his breath.  _ How could I have forgotten about that? _ He thought back to the conversation he and Obie had earlier.

_ It’s a tracking device. It also monitors your vitals. And, if you misbehave, I can press this button, and it will shock you. If you cooperate, I won’t have to use it. _

He groaned in frustration.  _ I have to figure out how to get it off before I escape.  _ He dropped his arm and sighed. _ Why can’t people just stay dead? _

. . . . .

Pepper walked into the lab as Rhodey stood and started pacing the room. “What’s going on?” she asked as she walked toward her husband.

“One of the spies that that was working for Peter’s kidnappers was arrested. We hacked in and watched the interrogation. Apparently, Linda Parks was the only one that had any contact with whoever is behind all of this.”

Tony threw his hands up into the air. “So basically, we have no leads!” he shouted in frustration.

“We’re going to figure this out. We’re going to get him back,” Pepper assured.

“You don’t know that!” He winced when she scowled at him. “You don’t… You can’t know that,” he whispered as the woman wrapped him in a hug.

“Let’s get some water and sit down for a moment. We need to take a break,” she suggested as she led him to the couch. She made him sit before she grabbed two of the bottles of water Happy had brought in earlier. She sat next to him and handed it to him before she drank from her own bottle. Rhodey joined them, and they all sat for a few minutes before Pepper spoke. “Yelling at people won’t help us find Peter.”

Tony sighed and looked at her. She smiled at him to make sure he knew that she wasn’t mad. “I’m sorry. I’m on edge. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

“I know,” she whispered, taking his hand in hers.

“I just want my son back.”  _ Please, just give him back. _

. . . . .

Peter jolted awake when the door opened. He had dozed off while he waited for something to happen. Looked up, he watched Obie walk in. "Are you ready to cooperate now?"

"I…" _ What if I help him and people get hurt? If I don't escape, then people will get hurt. _ "Yes," he answered.

"You don't sound very sure."

He looked in the man's eyes and hoped he wouldn't regret his next words. "I'll cooperate, I promise."

The man stared at him for a moment before he smiled. "You don't mind if I test your loyalty, do you?" he asked.

Peter felt a flash of fear before he whispered, "Okay."

"I'm going to untie you, and a doctor is going to take some of your blood. If you don't fight back, I'll let you use the bathroom and eat some food. If you fight back, then I will leave you here like this, and the doctor will reinsert your catheter."

A look of disgust crossed his face as his cheeks colored with shame.  _ Someone did that while I was unconscious? _ "I won't fight him."

Obie nodded. "Good. Jameson, you can come in now." A man walked in and carefully removed the restraints, glancing at the teen every few seconds.

Peter looked at Obie before sitting up. His casts were awkward and uncomfortable, and it made pushing himself up difficult, but he managed. Once he was somewhat comfortable, he looked at the doctor. The man had stepped several paces back and was looking at him a little fearfully. The teen offered his left arm and waited for Jameson to make his way over and take it. Peter looked away before he felt the pinch of the needle, clamping his mouth shut when a hiss of pain tried to escape.

The man took a vial of blood before he removed the needle and walked out of the room. Peter watched him go before he looked up at Obie. "How long do I have to have the casts?"

"The drug doesn't affect your healing abilities, so maybe a few more days for your legs. It will be a little longer for your arm because of the damage."

"What does the drug do to me?"

"It's a security measure. I don't need you throwing my employees across the room." He turned and walked toward the door. "Now, I have a wheelchair for you. If you try anything, I will shock you again." He pushed the wheelchair through the door and stopped by the bed.

Peter rolled his eyes internally before he reassured the man that he wasn't going to do anything.

He tried to memorize everything he saw without being obvious about it.

Outside his room, there was a long hall. The walls were white, and there were several doors along both sides. All of them were closed, and he wondered what was behind each one. He tried to determine if they were still in the city, but there were no windows anywhere.  _ Are we underground? _

Obie pushed him down a few doors before he opened one on the right and pushed him in. "I'll be right outside," he said, a look of warning in his eyes before he left, shutting the door partway behind him.

Once he was alone in the bathroom, he examined the band on his arm. He found the latch, but he couldn't figure out how to open it.  _ You probably need the remote. _

He stood and hobbled to the toilet, relieved himself, and then flushed. He made his way to the sink and tried to wash his hands without getting any water on his cast. He dried his hands and sat back in the chair with a quiet groan.  _ I can't wait until I can actually walk again. _

"I'm done!" he shouted at the door. He watched his captor walk in and look around suspiciously. When he didn't see anything out of place, he pushed the teen back to his room.

Obie stopped by the bed and watched Peter maneuver his way onto the bed. Shortly after he settled, a guard brought in some food. He took the wheelchair when he left, shutting the door on the way.

Peter dug in as Obadiah watched with an amused look on his face. "I want you to tell me about your powers."

Peter swallowed before he asked, "What do you want to know?"

"How did you get them?" Peter looked away and tried to decide if he should tell this man the truth. "I'm starting to think that you aren't cooperating," the man growled as he pulled out the remote.

Fear shot through the teen before he looked into the man's eyes. The man scowled before he moved to press the button. "Wait!" Peter shouted. "I'll tell you! Just don't shock me. Please."

"Talk."

Peter balled his left hand into a fist and hoped Obie couldn't see how scared he was. He nodded, took a breath, and then told him about how he got his powers. He told him about the field trip to Oscorp, how he got separated from the group, the spider, how he got sick the first few days after. Once he finished, he was exhausted; he could barely keep his eyes open.

"Get some rest. I'll bring you more food in a few hours, and then you can tell me more."

  
Peter laid on the bed and tried not to cry.  _ I'm going to regret telling all that him later. I hope he doesn't hurt anyone before I can stop him. _ He blinked the tears away before he fell into a fitful sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter attempts escape, and Tony learns new things about the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Torture, maybe language, threats of violence.

_ Please, please, please, _ Peter pleaded silently as he jabbed the screwdriver into the latch of his cuff for the third time. "Come on, come on! Just break already!" His desperation and fear were growing with each passing minute. He was having a hard time maneuvering the tool with his arm still in its cast, and every time he missed the latch, his urge to cry in frustration grew.  _ I can do this.  _

Sweat collected on his forehead, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. He froze in fear when a door opened down the hall. The only movement was his trembling and the rapid rise and fall of his chest. When the footsteps started heading in the opposite direction, he sighed in relief and got back to his task.

After he had agreed to cooperate, Obie allowed him to leave his room as long as he had a guard with him at all times. Someone made sure the door was always locked, and they only allowed him to leave to use the bathroom every few hours. Aside from that, the door only opened when Obie brought him food and asked more questions about his powers, when the doctor needed more blood, or when he needed another injection of the mystery concoction that dulled his strength.

He spent most of his time sleeping. Obie had modified his mystery drug so that it didn't knock him out, but he was still tired all the time. No matter how much sleep he got, he felt like it was never enough.

He had been pretty excited to learn that he could still stick to walls, though. Knowing that they had only targeted his strength gave him a semblance of comfort. He hated feeling completely helpless.

Obie's fascination with Peter's ability to stick to pretty much anything was a little frightening. As soon as the casts had come off, he had demanded that Peter climb the walls. Peter was afraid that he would want tissue samples at some point. He couldn't think about how painful it would be to have his skin peeled back and cut away for science.

That's how the days had gone so far; Obie demanding he do this or explain that to satisfy his curiosity. It was getting harder to go along with it, but he really didn't want to end up strapped down again.

His fear of Obie hurting him and the thought of aiding in hurting others was what drove him to take the opportunity to escape when he saw his chance.

_ If he catches me trying to escape, he'll do a lot worse than strapping me down. _ He shuddered at the thought and tried to shove the end of the flathead into the latch.

His legs still twitched with pain every once in a while, but when Obie had told him that he was going to have the casts removed, he couldn't contain his excitement.  _ I can finally get out of here! _

He couldn't wait to see his dad again. Obie was demanding more from him every day, and it scared him to think about what would come next.

He let out a frustrated huff before fire shot through his body. He screamed and fell to the floor, thrashing and grunting as electricity coursed through him.

It lasted a solid ten seconds before the pain stopped, and he slumped to the ground gasping for breath. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to sit up.  _ He knows! _ He searched for the screwdriver but froze when he heard footsteps rushing toward him. Looking up with fear-filled eyes, he watched four guards throw the door open and rush forward. He counted Obie's slow, uneven gait as he came down the hall, squeezing his eyes shut as the man came into view.

"I'm disappointed in you, Peter. I thought we had a deal." He sighed and shook his head. "I told you that If you cooperated, I would make this experience as painless as possible. I told you that I wouldn't hurt you unless you made me." He paused and frowned down at his captive. "You broke the deal, and now I'm going to have to keep up my end."

Peter looked away and blinked back tears. He tried to sit up and back away from the doctor, but two guards walked forward to grab his arms. The man stepped forward, and Peter attempted to pull out of the hands holding him in place, but he was still weak, and Jameson jabbed the needle into his arm. The man smirked as he pressed the plunger down. He yanked the needle out and backed away.

Peter squeezed his eyes shut and felt tears of fear escape before the world went black.

. . . . .

"Tony! Tony, wake up!"

The billionaire groaned and opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep in the lab, slumping forward onto the desk when he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. Sitting up, he rubbed his hands over his face to try to wake himself.  _ How on earth did I fall asleep like that? _ He sat up, wincing when his back protested the movement.

Someone put a hand on his shoulder before they asked, "Are you with me?"

Tony mumbled something unintelligible before he looked around to see who was speaking. "Rhodey? What time is it?" he asked through a yawn. He stood and stretched as he tried to get his back to relax.

"It's 2:00 in the afternoon."

_ It's 2:00? I got like four hours of sleep. How did I fall asleep? Wait, Rhodey woke me up, what's going on?  _ Tony tried to blink the sleep out of his eyes so that he could focus.

"Listen, Fri got an alert about Linda Parks and Stephen Ross."

Tony blinked the sleep away and stood. "What about them?" He turned toward the screens at the table next to the one he had fallen asleep on. There were three mugshots displayed.

"Freddy Dalton and Stephen Ross were traveling together. Dalton made a deal, so he gave Ross up a few hours ago. The Sheriff's Department picked him up, but he said the same thing as Dalton. He claims that he has no idea who was paying them for the information. I didn't think I need to wake you for that," he added when his friend glared at him. "Linda Parks was taken into custody about twenty minutes ago. They haven't talked to her yet, but guess where they found her."

"Timbuktu." He crossed his arms and scowled at his friend.

"Brooklyn."

"What?"  _ She's been right under my nose this whole time? She's been here, and I didn't find her?  _ "How did we not pick her up on facial recognition?" He let anger flow through him. Anger at whoever took his son and at himself for not being able to find him.  _ My son is out there going through who knows what, and I'm here taking naps. _ He looked up when Rhodey spoke.

"I was wondering the same thing, so I looked up the surveillance footage that FRIDAY picked her up on." He pulled up a still, and Tony gaped.  _ She hid in plain sight but made sure that no one would know. _ She had a scarf wrapped around her nose and mouth, large sunglasses covering her eyes, and a short black wig. He wouldn't have recognized her if they passed on the street.

"How did FRI pick up on it?"

"Watch." Rhodey smiled before he played the footage.

She was walking toward the corner when a man in a black hoodie ran passed her, grabbing her purse on his way. It threw her off balance, and she fell to the ground. Her wig and glasses fell off, and the scarf slipped down. Her mistake was looking directly at the street camera as soon as it happened. Tony could see the fear plain on her face.

That was all it took, though. F.R.I.D.A.Y. would have picked up on it at some point.

"I'd like to shake that guy's hand," Tony whispered in disbelief.

"You and me both." Rhodey nodded in agreement. "I told FRI to let us know when they interrogate her. She was the only one that had contact with the monster that took Peter."

_ We finally have a lead.  _ Tony sat on the couch and dropped his head into his hands.  _ Please let me find him soon. I don't know how much longer I can go like this. _

. . . . .

Peter groaned and opened his eyes, only to snap them shut with a gasp of pain. He lifted his hands and brought them to his throbbing temples. Wincing, he scrunched his eyes tighter against the harsh light.  _ What did they do to me? _ He took slow, even breaths, and waited for the pounding to subside. Blocking the light with his hand, he opened his eyes and looked around the bright white room.

He was in his cell, but it was empty. The bed and the table were gone. His heart-rate sped up, and he tried to stay calm as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the light.  _ What the hell is going on? _

After a few minutes of squinting, he was able to keep his eyes open for more than a few seconds without pain shooting through his head. Taking a deep breath, he looked around again. He was lying in the corner and, when he tried to sit up, he felt something heavy pulling at his ankles. He looked down and sucked in a breath. Someone had secured two manacles around his legs. They were attached to chains that someone had bolted to the wall. His breathing sped up, and he reached down to try and break them open.

He started with the left one. Shoving his fingers under the shackle on each side of his ankle and pulling with all of his strength. He gritted his teeth and cursed when it didn’t so much as make a dent. Moving the right one, he tried the same thing. He grunted in frustration and felt tears dampen his eyes when nothing happened.  _ I can’t believe he chained me up like this _ , he thought. He remembered Creep and reminded himself that it could be worse.  _ I could be dangling from the ceiling with two broken legs. _

He felt a tear roll down his cheek, and he wiped his eyes.  _ Don’t cry in front of them. Don’t show them your fear. _

He jumped when he heard the door open. Looking up, he watched Obie walk in and stop a few feet away. “I’m glad you’re awake, Peter.” He looked down at his captive with disappointment in his eyes. “I wanted to make sure that you were happy with your accommodations.” The man smiled, but his eyes were angry.

Peter stayed quiet, only just holding a snarky remark back. He could hear his father’s voice:  _ Be smart, kid. Your mouth will get you into a lot of trouble if you let it. _ He knew he was in enough trouble without angering the man further. So, he kept his mouth shut and listened to what Obie had to say.

“We’ll start your testing tomorrow. For now, I want you to think about how everything that is going to happen is your fault. If you had cooperated, then you wouldn’t be sitting on the floor, chained to the wall. I wouldn’t have to punish you.” He glared at the teen for a moment before he turned to leave.

“Wait,” Peter said, cursing the tremble in his voice. Obie stopped, but he didn’t turn around. “What tests?”

The man turned, a smirk plastered onto his face. “The tests that my team of doctors is going to perform to learn about your powers.” He waved and walked out the door.

Peter gaped after the man.  _ What tests? What is he talking about? _ He tried to breathe through the panic coursing through his veins.  _ Oh, God, Dad. I don’t want to be here anymore. I don’t know if I can get out on my own. I just want to come home. _ He brought his knees to his chest, wrapped his arms around his legs, and rested his head on them.

  
_I’m going to get out of here. I’ll find a way out. I can’t give up._ He turned his face away from the camera and let the silent tears fall.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obie begins the testing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one gets pretty dark.
> 
> TW: Torture, threats of violence, human experimentation, (language?)

Rhodey had told F.R.I.D.A.Y. to call the others to the lab so that everyone could listen to the interrogation. He could tell that Tony was barely holding himself together, and he hoped that Pepper would be able to calm him down. He smiled when she went to her husband the moment she entered the room, taking his hand in hers as he told her what had happened.

"The police picked up Linda Parks. Rhoney and I were going to listen in on the interrogation. He thought you should be here with us."

"They're starting, Boss," F.R.I.D.A.Y. announced.

Everyone gathered around the screens and waited.

Two men walked into the room. One sat down across from Parks, and the other stood by the door. The man that sat down looked at the woman for a moment before he placed a file on the table. 

“Hello, Linda. I'm detective Cruize, and this is my partner, detective Perry." He paused and opened the file, pulling out a picture of Peter. He placed it in front of Linda before he continued. "This is Peter Stark. He was kidnapped five days ago on his way home from school. Four days ago, he was kidnapped from his kidnappers. We've spoken to you coworkers, Freddy Dalton, and Stephen Ross. According to them, you three were working as spies in Stark Industries. They said you were the only one that had any contact with whoever you were collecting information for." He stopped and waited for her to say something. She hadn't even looked at the picture yet; she was just staring at her hands.

"Peter is 16-years-old. He's a Sophomore at Midtown Tech. He's on the decathlon team. He has a girlfriend and a best friend that haven't seen him in almost a week. Peter's family has been frantic since his kidnapping."

She finally glanced at the picture; she studied it for a few seconds before she looked at detective Cruize. "I don't know where he is."

"You know who took him."

She shook her head and looked back and forth between the detectives. "I don't know who took him. He never told me his name. All I did was gather information and pass it on. Money would appear in my account, and that was it."

"How did it all start? Who told you what information to gather? Who told you where to send it?"

"I found a letter in my car one day. It said that if I gathered specific information, then my daughter's treatment would be taken care of. All I had to do was open a P.O. box under an alias and wait for further instructions. My daughter has cystic fibrosis, and I couldn't afford the treatments. I didn't know that anyone would get hurt."

Everyone could see that she was pretty shaken up. Her reasoning didn't make what she did okay, but it made it harder to hate her.

"How did you pass the information?"

"I would collect everything and put it on a flash drive. Freddy and Stephen would do the same. I would take them to my P.O. box, and the next day, I would get paid."

"Did you ever talk directly to anyone involved?"

"No, I never spoke to anyone. The only way we communicated was through the P.O. box."

"What information did you give them?"

"I work in the I.T. department. I gave information about schedules. Mr. Stark and his family, Mr. Hogan, some of the other people that are close to the Starks'. I didn't know that their son would be kidnapped."

"What did you think someone was going to do if they were paying you thousands of dollars to spy on the Stark family? It's been going on for two years!"

Linda flinched when the detective yelled before tears fell from her eyes. "I'm so s-sorry. I didn't kn-know."

"Do you have any of the letters?"

She shook her head before whispering, "I burned them as soon as I read them. They told me to."

Rhodey shut it off after that. Parks couldn't tell them anything new. Everyone jumped when Tony started screaming and throwing things to the floor. Pepper tried to calm him down, but Tony wouldn't listen to her pleas.

A picture fell to the floor and shattered, making Tony freeze before he knelt and picked it up. He squeezed his eyes shut as a sob tore itself from his chest. Pepper knelt and pulled him into a hug. He clung to her as he cried for his missing son.  _ Please let me find him. I can't lose him. _

. . . . .

Peter startled awake when the door banged against the wall. He shot to his feet and backed into the corner when four men moved toward him.

"No! Don't touch me!"

They grabbed his arms and yanked him out of the corner before throwing him to the floor. He kicked his legs and scratched at the men's eyes as fear flooded his body with adrenaline. He managed to kick one of the men off when his muscles seized up, electricity coursing through his veins.

Screaming, he thrashed for a few seconds before the pain stopped, and he went limp. He laid on the floor, panting for breath as someone removed the shackles on his ankles. When a shadow passed over his face, he cracked his eyes open. He glared at Obie's smile.

"What have I said about cooperation?" he asked as the guards hauled Peter to his feet. "You're just making it harder for yourself," he said before turning and leading the men down the hall.

They walked into a room at the end of the hall, and the men dropped Peter to the floor. Two of the guards left, shutting the door behind them; the other two went to stand on either side of the door. Obie walked over, staring down at him as two doctors moved around on the other side of the room.

"Now, you are going to do exactly what Dr. Jameson tells you. If you don't, you will be shocked. Do you understand?"

He wanted to say,  _ I'm not going to do anything you crazy people say _ , but his muscles were still twitching. "I understand."

"Good. I'm going to leave. If I hear anything about you not cooperating, I'm going to be very upset." With that, he turned and left.

Peter laid on the floor and closed his eyes as he waited for the demands to begin.  _ Why did he have to be evil? Why can't psychos just mind their own business and not kidnap people? _

"Get up," Dr. Jameson demanded.

Peter groaned but obeyed before they could claim he wasn't cooperating.

He looked around the room for the first time. A table with several machines set up on it took up most of the room. He could pick out a computer and a heart monitor, but he couldn't identify the others. A treadmill stood against one wall and, what he guessed was, a one-way mirror occupied another.

"Sit."

Peter walked over to a chair and sat down. The other doctor grabbed his arm and wrapped it in a blood pressure cuff before he placed a clip on his finger. The heart monitor came to life as the cuff squeezed his arm. The man grabbed a clipboard and started writing down information before Dr. Jameson removed the cuff.

"Stand."

Peter rolled his eyes and stood, flinching forward when someone wrapped something around his waist.

"Hold still." Peter did his best to obey as the second doctor measured several places around his body; waist, chest, upper and lower arms, and upper and lower legs. Dr. Jameson wrote down the numbers the other man announced each time.

When they finished, the second doctor gave the teen a half-empty bottle of water and told him to drink it all. He drained the bottle before handing it back.

"I want you to do as many push-ups as you can until I say stop."

"What?" Peter asked, confusion evident in his voice.

"I said," the man snapped as he pulled a remote from his pocket. "I want you to do as many push-ups as you can until I tell you to stop." He moved his thumb over a button with a smirk on his face.

"Okay, alright! I'm doing it!" Peter dropped to the floor and started doing push-ups. The cast on his arm made it awkward, but it stopped below his elbow, so he was able to do as commanded.

He counted as he went; he didn't know how many push-ups he could do, but his arms were trembling at 200. At 350, he was panting for breath, and at 500, his arms were shaking so badly that he was having a hard time keeping himself upright.  _ How many more? _ At 600, his left arm gave out, and he only just saved himself from face planting.

He pushed himself up on shaky arms and rested back on his knees. "I didn't say you could stop," Dr. Jameson snapped.

Peter ignored the man. Sweat trailed down his back and chest, and he wished they would give him more water. He squeezed his eyes shut as he panted for breath, yelping when he electricity engulfed his body. It wasn't anywhere near as powerful as the previous ones, but it still hurt. "Keep going, or I'll turn it up."

"I can't," he panted in response. He yelped when Jameson shocked him again, this time, more painful than the last. "Please, I can't," he gasped as he blinked back tears.

"I won't ask again."

Peter took a deep breath and got back into position and did another push-up. He counted again; he needed to focus on something other than the pain. He was almost to 800 when Dr. Jameson finally told him to stop. The teen rolled onto his back and panted. His arms felt like jello.  _ I don't think I could do another one if I tried. _

A pen scratched against paper as someone shuffled around in the corner before they walked toward him, stopping next to his head. He cracked his eyes open to see a bottle of water. He swallowed what little saliva he had and pushed himself into a sitting position, reaching for the water. It was only half full, and Peter drank it in seconds. When it was gone, he looked at the empty bottle longingly. He handed it back to the doctor before he brought his legs up and rested his arms on his knees.

He listened to the doctors walking around as he tried to catch his breath.

After a few minutes, when he was breathing normally again, Dr. Jameson walked over. "I want you to do as many sit-ups as you can until I say stop."

Peter closed his eyes before he nodded. The second doctor walked over and stood on Peter's feet. The teen took a breath and started doing sit-ups.

He counted again, feeling proud of himself when he passed 100, 300, and 500. After that, it started to get painful. He was panting for breath and sweating profusely.  _ Please, let this be over soon _ . He hit 800 and had to blink tears away when his muscles started to cramp. When the doctor finally told him to stop, he collapsed to the floor and gasped for breath.

They gave him more water before telling him to get on the treadmill.  _ I don't know how much more of this I can take. _ He walked over to the treadmill, and the second doctor came over with some kind of mask. He moved to put it over the teen's face, but Peter backed away. "What is that?"

"It's to monitor your breathing," the unnamed doctor said. "It won't hurt you," he added before he moved to put it on. Peter, caught off guard by the softness in the man's voice, didn't fight, and when Dr. Jameson told him to walk until he said stop, he steeled himself and obeyed. After about ten minutes, they told him to stop.  _ That's not all, is it? _ he thought as he leaned against the wall.

"Alright, start running. And don't stop until I say."

Peter, tired and hungry, snapped, "How about  _ you _ run until I say stop!" His eyes widened when he saw Dr. Jameson pull out the remote. Peter shouted when electricity flared once, twice in quick succession; the second one dropped him to his knees.

As soon as he hit the ground, he felt a third shock, this one pushing him down to his hands. He squeezed his eyes shut as he waited for more pain.

It didn't come, but he shivered when the man said, "Make a note: the subject is uncooperative and combative." Peter knew Obie would be mad, and he almost regretted his comment. "Get up and get on the treadmill."

Peter took a shaky breath and stood. He got on the machine and started running when the doctor prompted him to. They could control the speed with the computer, and the man set it at an incline at a fast pace. He counted his steps for something to focus on.  _ One foot in front of the other. They have to let me stop eventually. _

Around 10,000 steps was when he started to falter. After that, he kept stumbling, and at 12,000, he tripped and fell, the belt of the treadmill shooting him backward to sprawl across the floor. He laid on the ground and gasped for breath between clenched teeth.

"Get up, you're not done," Dr. Jameson snapped.

Peter, unable to speak, shook his head. He screamed when the worst shock of the day pulsed through his body. He rolled into the fetal position and squeezed his eyes shut. A second wave of electricity jolted through him, and he couldn't hold back the tears of pain. "Get up!" the doctor shouted before a much longer burst of electricity seized his muscles.

"Okay! J-just stop!" He forced himself to his feet and onto the treadmill. He started running again, hoping that he would be able to stop soon. He only made it about 1,000 more steps before he stumbled and fell back to the floor. He laid there and tried not to cry as Dr. Jameson stomped over and kicked him in the ribs. "Get up!"

"I c-can't!" He cried out as his body locked up and thrashed on the floor.

"Get up!"

"Please, I-I can't," he pleaded through gasps. His back arched off of the floor as he screamed in pain. He gagged when he tasted blood, thick and metallic as it slid down his throat.

He didn't fight the all-consuming darkness as it pulled him under.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The experiments continue, but there is hope!
> 
> TW: Human experimentation, manipulation, violence, language

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY!
> 
> I have no excuses. Okay, I kinda do. Life is crazy right now with work, moving, travel plans, and a new boyfriend! Mostly good things; work can be tough sometimes.
> 
> But, yeah. I'm sorry for the long wait! I only have one more chapter written out, but I'm planning on starting chapter twelve today!
> 
> Also, I will TRY to get chapter eleven up on Monday like I'm supposed to, but I can't guarantee that it will happen.

The following days consisted of painful experiments.

They took tissue samples from his muscles and bones and organs and everything else that he couldn't name. They sliced him open with scalpels and broke his bones to watch him heal. It took less time for the pain to take him under each time, and for that, he was grateful. No matter how much he screamed, begged, and apologized, They never gave him any anesthetic. Obie said it was his punishment for being uncooperative and mouthy.

_ How am I supposed to cooperate when all they want to do is torture me? _

At night they would chain him to the wall and leave him to curl into a ball to conserve warmth in his freezing cell. Jameson said he wanted to test his thermoregulation; said it was something he wanted to 'fix'.

He couldn't sleep because of the pain and cold. After what he assumed was a few days, it didn't matter anymore. The pain and exhaustion pulled him under despite the biting chill. His only break from the cold was when they took him from his cell to preform experimentations.

At one point, the cold was too much, and Peter's body temperature dropped too low. After that, they had someone watching for signs of hypothermia. Once his lips turned blue, and he stopped shivering, they raised the temperature to 60o.

Obie allowed him one meal a day. A guard would barge in and give him some food and water before more men came to drag him off to the hell that had become his life. They gave him more water throughout the day, but they never gave him any more food. He could tell that he was losing weight. He felt weaker, especially when they pumped him full of the drug that stole his strength.

He had stopped talking after the third day. His throat was raw from screaming, and it wasn't worth the extra pain that came with it. He hoped that if he was as cooperative as he could force himself to be when they were torturing him, Obie would stop hurting him. Maybe stop the experiments. At least give him something for the pain or give him more food or raise the temperature of his room, so he didn't feel like he was going to freeze to death. He'd take just about anything at this point.

Peter's plans of escape were overshadowed by thoughts of pleasing his captor. He'd do almost anything to make the pain stop.  _ Please make it stop. _

When Obie brought him his daily meal, Peter didn't know what day it was anymore. The days had started to blend together.

"Good morning, Peter."

Peter was speechless, mostly because he was afraid of saying something stupid if he opened his mouth but also because he hadn't seen Obie since the first day of experimentation.

"I wanted to check-in."

Peter still had nothing to say, and his eyes dropped to his hands as he tried to keep the tears at bay.

"I thought I'd offer you a new deal."

Peter's head shot up as hope shot through his thoughts.

"If you cooperate, I'll make sure you get more food. You've lost some weight, and I want you to stay healthy. I'll also raise the temperature of your room and consider getting you a new bed."

All of those things sounded amazing, but Peter had one other thing on his mind. "What about..." His voice was raspy from screaming, and he looked away as his cheeks colored with embarrassment.

"I'm open to negotiation. What about what?"

"What about anesthetic?"

Obie pursed his lips and squinted his eyes as he thought it over. Peter waited with bated breath for the answer he desperately needed.

"I'll tell you what. If you cooperate today, I'll make sure you get more food, a warmer room, and a bed. If you cooperate tomorrow, I'll consider giving you an anesthetic for the testing."

_ I'm sorry, dad. I can't do this anymore. Maybe if I can gain his trust, I'll be able to escape. _ "Okay, I'll- I'll cooperate," he whispered.

"Great. You'll get some food, and then, well, you know the rest." He smiled before he turned and left.

A few minutes later, one of the guards walked in. He handed Peter a small bowl of plain oatmeal and watched the teen scarfed it down in seconds. He gave the dish back, and the man left. 

When the guards came, he didn't resist; they marched him to the lab without a word. He froze when they led him to the table. He shuddered and tried to block the flood of painful memories that washed over him at the sight. He flinched and looked up when someone shouted. Jameson had the remote clutched in his hand while he gave Peter an expectant look.

_ I'm sorry, dad. I should be stronger than this. _

. . . . .

Tony was losing hope. It had been a week since Peter's kidnapping. A week since he'd seen his son, a week smile since he listened to him babble about his friends.  _ Was that the last time? Will I ever see him again? Are his captors hurting him? Is he even still alive? _

He startled when he a hand squeezed his shoulder. He looked up into Pepper's eyes and tried to smile. It was more of a grimace, but she smiled back anyway.

"What are you thinking?"

He looked away. "What if we don't find him?"

"We can't give up. You know he never would," she said before she pulled him into a hug.

"I miss him so much," Tony whispered through tears.

"I know. We all do."

"What if they're hurting him? What kind of hero am I if I can't even protect my own son?"

She pulled back and looked him in the eye. "You are Iron Man. You have saved millions of lives. But you are also Tony Stark, and Tony Stark is just a man. There is no way you could have known this was going to happen. You can't watch over him every minute of every day."

"If-  _ when  _ I get him back, I'm not going to let him out of my sight ever again."

"This is Peter we're talking about, Tony. There is no way you can keep him in your sight at all times."

"I can try."

"Yes, you can."

"I just-" He cut off when his phone rang. He reached for it, answering as soon as he saw that it was Nat. "Hello?"

_ "I know who took him." _

. . . . .

Natasha had spent the last week chasing down dead end after dead end. She was seriously considering shooting the next person that gave her a false lead.

When she got a call from Anton Petrikov, she hoped he had a lead since shooting him would give her a long list of new enemies.

When she got to the meeting place, she could tell he was drunk.

“Наташа,  Рад тебя видеть .” Natasha, it's good to see you again.

" I can't say the same."

"You don't mean that. You're always playing hard to get."

She glared at him as he stumbled over the words. " You said you had information."

"We're not done talking about this."

Nat's hand twitched toward her gun, and Anton put his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, we can talk about it later."

" Information."

" Alright. I heard a rumor about a certain someone that's supposed to be dead."

" Get to the point."

" Obadiah Stane."

She froze, staring him down before saying, "That's impossible."

  
  


"That's what I thought. But Dimitri- you remember Dimitri?"

  
  


She rolled her eyes. " How could I forget."

"Anyhow, he said Maxim was hired by some anonymous guy that needed some high-end security. Turns out, they've got a mutant, and they're trying to duplicate its powers to build an army. Said it was some kid. Could be Stark's. But Maxim said he saw Stane himself. Said he's covered in burns and has a limp, said he's still a psychopath. That good enough?"

" Where."

" Uh, I don't know. I might need something in return."

"Let's say I don't cut off all your fingers and call it even."

Anton swallowed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Right, sounds good." He pulled a paper from his pocket and handed it over.

" This real?"

" As far as I know. I know what you're capable of. I don't plan on getting on your bad side right now."

" Good. Cause if this is wrong, I'll be back." She stared him down until he looked away before turning around and pulling out her phone.

_ "Hello?" _

"I know who took him."

. . . . .

Hope made his breath hitch. "Who?"

_ "Obadiah Stane." _

What? "That's-"

_ "Impossible, I know. I have a reliable source. It's him, Tony." _

"I-I . . . What?"

_ "I got a location. I'm sending it to FRIDAY now." _

"Okay, we-we'll meet you there."

_ "Hurry." _

Tony was dumbstruck.  _ How is he alive? I watched him die! What does he want with Peter? _

"Tony?"

He looked up to see Rhodey and Pepper staring. "Obie's alive."

"What?" Rhodey asked.

"Nat said Obie took Peter."

"That's- That's crazy!" Pepper said.

"What does he want with Peter?"

"Did she get a location?" Rhodey asked.

"Yeah, she sent it to Friday."

"Okay, let's suit up," Rhodey said.

Tony nodded and turned to do just that when his phone rang again. He shared a look with the others before he grabbed it. "Blocked number," he whispered. He answered and put it on speaker. "Hello?"

_ "Dad?" _

. . . . .

Peter almost cried when Obie gave him a second meal after the testing. The gnawing emptiness inside him eased up slightly when the cold oatmeal hit his stomach. He had to stifle a whimper of longing when it was gone.

That wasn't the only thing that changed.

When he walked into his room, there was a bed in the corner, complete with a pillow and blanket. He stepped forward and could instantly feel the temperature difference. It was so much warmer than he had become accustomed to. He would usually start shivering within a few minutes of the door shutting. How something so simple could bring tears to his eyes was probably an indicator of how far gone he was, but he didn't care at that point.

He sat on the bed, blanket wrapped around his shoulders as he tried to get his thoughts together.

It had been a while since they had locked him in his room. He guessed it was at least a day since anyone had come to take him for testing. They still brought him food and water and took him to the bathroom, but he wondered what was going on.

He looked up when the door opened. A single guard walked in. There were always at least two, but Peter didn't question it. He's _ probably testing me. He wants to see if I'll try to escape. _

The man walked over and unchained Peter from the wall before he yanked him to his feet. Peter bit back a groan when his body throbbed in protest. He stumbled down the hall after the guard before the mad pushed him into a room that he had never been in. Confused, he looked around the empty room and turned back to the man to ask what was going on. He gasped and took several steps back when he realized that he was so close they were almost touching.

"You almost killed my brother."

"W-what?"

"You threw him across the room and bashed his head into the wall. It fractured his skull. He was in a coma for ten days." He walked forward until he backed Peter into the corner. He snarled before he lashed out and punched the teen in the stomach. Peter hunched over as he gasped for breath. "They think he may have a brain injury!" he shouted before he punched Peter in the face. The teen yelped and tried to shrink away from his assailant. "He might never function the same!" He backhanded Peter and watched him fall to the floor with a cry of pain. "You're going to pay!" he shouted before he started kicking.

Peter gasped when the air left his lungs. He curled into a ball and tried to protect himself, holding back noises of pain as the man attacked him.

After the third blow, he shot his hand out and grabbed the man's ankle. He pulled it toward himself and kicked him in the knee. The man screamed and collapsed to the floor as he cradled his leg. 

Peter, breathing hard, stood and punched him in the face. His attacker went limp, and he sobbed in relief. He reached up to wipe the tears from his face when he saw a cell phone on the floor. He stared at it in shock for a moment before he knelt and snatched it up. Flipping it open, he hoped it didn't have a password. He laughed in disbelief when it lit up on the home screen. He listened for footsteps before he punched in his dad's number.

It rang twice before he answered. " _ Hello?" _

"Dad?"

_ "Peter! Oh, God, kiddo! Are you okay?" _

Tears spilled from his eyes as he listened to his dad's voice. "I want to come home."

_ "I know, kiddo. Nat found you. She got a location. We're on our way right now. I need you to hold on, okay?" _

"Okay."

_ "Are you hurt?" _

"I'll be okay-"

_ "How bad?" _

"I'll be fine. Dad, listen, it's Obie. He wants to recreate my powers. I didn't want to help him, but h-he . . . I'm sorry, dad," he whispered as a sob forced itself free.

_ "It's okay. It's not your fault-" _ he stopped when Peter gasped. "What's _ wrong?" _

"He's coming!"

_ "I'm on my way. Just hold on for me, Pete." _

"I wi-will. I have to go, if he finds me, h-he'll-"  _ Oh, God. Oh, God. If he finds me- Why did I do this? He's going to be so mad! I shouldn't have- No! I have to get out! He'll hurt people if I don't! " _ Please, hurry! I love you," he whispered before he hung up. He listened to his captor stomp toward the door as he deleted the call from the phone's history before shoving the phone in the man's jacket pocket. He scrambled into the corner, curling his knees into his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

He was trembling with fear. More tears escaped when Obie and several guards rushed into the room.

He closed his eyes and waited for Obie to say something.

"What happened?" he barked.

Peter flinched before he looked at his attacker. "H-he said that I almost ki-killed his brother and that he was going to make me pay."

The man walked over and bent down in front of his captive. He reached his hand out, pausing when Peter flinched back. He gently took the teen's chin and turned his face to examine the bruise on his cheek.

"I'm sorry," Peter whispered.

"You're not in trouble." He stood and turned to two of the guards. "Take him back to his room."

They nodded and helped Peter stand before they led him back to his room, securing him to the wall before they left.

It was all he could do to keep from smiling. Dad's _ coming! I'm getting out of here! _

He just hoped no one figured out what he did before then.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rescue?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guy, I'm so sorry. I haven't written anything in over a week. I'm super stressed and haven't had time or motivation to do much. I am gonna finish this story. I know most of what's going to happen. Hopefully, you're still here and know that I won't abandon this fic. You guys are the best!
> 
> TW: Language, violence, vomiting, seizures, several minor character deaths

Tony was still reeling from the phone call. Peter had sounded so scared. The way his voice trembled with fear as he whispered. The way panic seeped into his words when he heard Obie coming for him. He sounded so small and helpless, something Tony never wanted to think his son was.

He had never been so mad at anyone in his life when he found out Peter was Spider-Man. He couldn't believe Peter didn't tell him. He'd felt betrayed.  What did I do to make him think that he couldn't trust me? But then they talked it out. Peter was afraid he would be mad at him, not because he had hidden his powers, but because he  had powers. He was afraid that his dad would look at him  differently because he had changed.

Tony was quick to reassure him that he would never do that. They made a new, much better suit together, and Tony let his anger go. It was something he was getting good at when it came to Peter.

But when Nat told him Obie had orchestrated everything, he reached a whole new level of rage.

Obadiah Stane.

What could he want with Peter's powers? Is he trying to build some kind of army? Give them to himself? He tried to kill me  multiple times. It's not a coincidence he went after my son.

He already hurt Peter, more than he'd said on the phone.

"Dad, listen, it's Obie. He's the one that took me. He wants to recreate my powers. I didn't want to help him, but h-he... I'm sorry, Dad."

He had apologized for cooperating. Tony knew what it would take to gather the information to recreate Peter's powers. Not as well as Bruce, but he knew the kinds of tests and tissue samples that they would need.

He had sounded so scared when he had heard Obie.

Did Obie know about the call? Was he hurting Peter right now? If he found out, then he would move Peter. And then-

"Tony! Snap out of it! We're here."

Tony jolted back to himself when Rhodey started shouting.

Looking down as they made their approach, Tony took in the abandoned veterinary clinic . It was a single building with a small parking lot surrounded by trees on all sides.

"I'm ready," he said as they slowed to land.

The building had large glass windows that looked into a waiting room. Half of the chairs were missing, and the other half were in pieces and covered in dust. Graffiti coated the once mint green front desk.  The exterior looked as though no one had bothered with a new coat of paint in years — aside from the graffiti littering the walls . It was a small, one-story building, about 2,000 square feet. It was the perfect place to hide in plain sight.

I'm here, Peter. "FRI, scan the building."

After a few seconds, a blueprint popped up. "There are no signs of life on the ground level.  However , there is at least one person, three floors underground."

" Just one?"

"Yes."

"Where is he?" A little red dot popped up on the blueprint.

"Let's go get our boy," Rhodey said.

. . . . .

After the incident with the guard, Peter  was terrified someone would figure out he'd called his dad. Every time he heard footsteps heading his way, he couldn't help but think Obie was coming to punish him. He would hold his breath until the steps entered another room or passed his door. It had him on edge, he was sweating and trembling in anticipation.

He had curled up on his bed as he tried not to give himself away. He knew Obie was watching.  Will Dad be the next person through the door? Will it be Obie saying he knew about the call, and they were moving to a new location?

He could feel his breathing turn erratic, and he closed his eyes, taking deep breaths through his nose.

When the door did open, it wasn't his dad. It was the second doctor -- Peter had learned his name was Smith -- and four guards.

The calm Peter had managed to find, vanished. Smith never went to his room. The guards always took him to the lab.

The syringe in the man's hand sent Peter into a blind-panic. It wasn't what they usually gave him. It was the wrong color and dose.

Peter tried to evade the guards when they jumped forward, but the chain around his ankle made it difficult to dodge their hands .

"No! Get off!"

"Hold him still!" Smith shouted as he grabbed Peter's arm, moving the syringe toward the crook of his elbow.

"What is that?!"  He tried to pull away, but one of the guards punched him across the face, stunning him long enough for the scientist to inject him with the mystery liquid .

As soon as Smith started emptying the syringe into Peter's flesh, the door slammed shut.

Everyone jumped and turned around. They all stood frozen in shock before Obie's voice came through the speaker.

"Thank you all for your cooperation. I  sincerely hope you survive."

The guards dropped Peter and ran for the door, banging their fists against it and pulling at the knob in desperation .

Peter sat on the floor, trying to figure out what they had given him. He looked up at Smith. The man's fear-filled eyes never left Peter as he backed against the wall.

"What did you do to me?"

The man closed his eyes and sank to the floor. "We infected you with a virus. Jameson said it wouldn't be contagious for twenty-four hours, but  I think he lied."

"What is it going to do?" Tears built in his eyes as he looked at the terrified men trapped in the room.

"Obie wanted us to come up with a way to spread your powers. Jameson said it would be pretty much impossible without the spider that mutated you. So Jameson came up with a way to trigger humans' natural genetic mutation. A way for us as a species to evolve at an accelerated rate. That way, he could still have his superhuman army.  He tried to recreate something close to your abilities, but without the spider, he had to make compromises ."

Peter's tears spilled over as he brought his knees to his chest. His hands shook as a chill forced him to shudder. His stomach cramped as he was overcome with nausea. He leaned to the side and threw up his meager breakfast onto the floor. He wiped sweat from his brow and tried to slow his breathing.

He looked up when one of the other men vomited. The man was shaking and crying as he heaved on his knees. His eyes rolled into the back of his head before he fell to the side and started seizing. The others scrambled to get away from his thrashing body with cries of fear.

It lasted about a minute before he went still. Peter sobbed in despair when he couldn't hear a heartbeat.  Oh, God. Oh my God, I killed him. He's dead. 

He cried harder when the rest of the men started heaving.  As they started seizing, he covered his ears and buried his head in his knees as he tried to block the sight and sound of the men dying . 

. . . . .

When Tony and Rhodey reached the room Peter was being held in; they immediately knew something was wrong . Something felt off, and Tony couldn't place it.

He stepped forward and reached for the doorknob, resting his hand on it before a shout startled him.

"No! Don't open the door!" 

The fear and desperation in his son's voice made Tony shudder with worry. "Peter! Peter, it's me! It's your dad and Uncle Rhodey!"

"Don't open the door! I don't- don't want you to die!"

He and Rhodey exchanged a look before Tony spoke again. "Why would that happen, Pete?"

"I- they gave me something, some . . . virus. I don't k-know what, but they- they all-" He cut off with a sob. "They're all d-dead now."

"Whose dead, Pete?"

"Th-the doctor and the guards. I-I . . . k-killed them."

No. Oh, God, Pete. " Peter, whatever happened wasn't your fault. This is all on Obie. Now, I'm going to open the door-"

"No! You can't-"

"Everything is going to be fine. Our suits  are sealed , you can't hurt us, okay?"

"I'm scared."

"I know, buddy, but it's going to be okay. We'll get you back to the tower, and Bruce and Cho will help me figure this out."

"They can't- I'm contagious."

"I don't think anything can hurt Bruce, and Cho can wear a hazmat suit. We're gonna figure this out, buddy. Now I'm going to open the door."

"O-okay."

"Alright." Tony grasped the knob and tested the door. It wasn't locked.  Obie knew we were coming.

The door swung open a few feet, stopping when it thumped against a body.  Oh, God. His eyes darted around the room. There were five bodies crumpled around the room. One was half propped against the wall, slumped sideways  slightly . There was one blocking the door, and the remaining three were almost lined up side by side.

It took Tony a split second to take everything in before he surged forward and reached out toward his son.

Peter flinched back and shouted, "No, don't!" before Tony could make contact. "D-don't."

"Peter. It's okay. I'm safe in the suit. I need to get you out of here."

"What if I hurt someone else?"

"I'm not going to let that happen."

"How do you know? How do you know we won't  accidentally run into someone? What if-if once it gets in the air, that's it? What if it gets out and everyone dies?" He broke off with a sob of despair, and Tony moved forward and wrapped Peter in his arms.

He wished he could take off the suit and  feel Peter's warmth; feel that he was alive.  I will. As soon as we figure this out, I'll hold him in my arms.

"Everything is going to work out. We're going to take you back to the tower, and Bruce and Cho will look you over. Nat and Rhodey are going to find Obie and make him tell us what he did and how to fix it."

"Okay."

"Okay." Tony turned to his best friend. "Can you tell everyone what's going on?"

"Already did."

"Thank you." He turned back to Peter. "I'm going to carry you. We'll  fly to the tower and get you quarantined."

Peter nodded, only protesting with a hiss of pain when Tony lifted him. "I'm okay."

"No. You're not. But you will be."


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, all. I am alive! I'm so sorry for my absence. I've had a hard time with this story lately. That and a lot has happened lately. That's why this chapter is only about 1k words long. It also has minimal editing. I don't think I had anyone look it over, so sorry for any mistakes. I figured it would be better to post what I have instead of waiting even longer for an update. Thank you so much for your support!

Fear filled Peter’s thoughts as his father rushed him into quarantine.  _ I don’t want to hurt anyone else. _

His dad and Rhodey were there in their armor, and Cho was in a hazmat suit. Bruce was the only one unprotected. He had been unafraid when Peter tried to tell him he could die. All he had said was, “The Hulk won’t let me die, Peter.”

And so, they got Peter into a hazmat suit on the roof before leading him through the evacuated floor to the sealed room.

“Peter?” Tony asked.

“Yeah?”

“Everything is going to be okay. We’re going to figure this out. I promise.”

“Okay.” He wanted to believe it, but there was a small voice in his head that couldn’t let him.

“I need to take some blood samples to see what we’re dealing with,” Bruce said, frowning sympathetically when Peter flinched. “I promise I’ll be gentle. I’m going to hurt you. As soon as I collect them, I want to look you over, okay?”

Peter trembled at the thought of more needles, but he trusted Bruce. He knew that his uncle would never hurt him. “Okay.”

Bruce smiled. “Good. Ready?”

Peter looked away and shook his head, gripping his father’s gauntlet covered hand tightly. “Do it anyway.”

“Alright.”

Peter jumped when he felt the familiar pinch, but relaxed a little when Tony placed an armored hand on the back of his neck. “It’s okay. It’s just Bruce.” Peter focused on not crying, breathing through his nose until Bruce pulled the needle back.

“Okay, I’m done. Cho, can you get started, please?”

“Of course.” Her footsteps retreated, the door opened and closed, and Peter took a breath before looking up.

“I need to look you over now. Is there anything I should focus on first?”

Peter mentally went through each ache and pain, cataloging them by severity. It was hard to choose just one. “I don’t know. Everything kind of hurts.”

“Okay, why don’t we start with your ribs. They seem to be bothering you.”

They really were. It hurt to breathe; each inhale was cut short because of the pain. “Okay.”

“Can you take off your shirt for me?”

Peter nodded and released his dad’s hand before pulling his shirt partway up, pausing at the flare of pain in his chest.

“Okay, what if I cut your shirt off? That way, you don’t have to hurt yourself.”

Peter froze, painful memories bursting to the surface.

_ “Hold him still!” _

**_No, stop. Please, don’t hurt me anymore. Please, just leave me alone._ ** _ A sharp pain in his jaw followed by stars exploding in his vision made Peter still long enough for them to strap his wrist to the table. “No, don’t!” _

_ “Jones, get the other one!” _

_ “I’m trying! He won’t stop flailing!” _

_ Peter screamed as his muscles locked up. He twitched and grunted as electricity surged through his body. By the time it stopped, tears had trailed down Peter’s temples. He tried to shift his aching body, but they had strapped him down. Sobs echoed through the room as the doctors and guards moved around him. _

_ “Cut his shirt off. If he isn’t going to cooperate, he-” _

“Peter! Peter, it’s okay. You’re safe! You’re in the tower with Bruce and Rhodey and me. You’re okay.”

“Dad.” It came out in a sob as Peter wrapped his arms around his father’s neck.

Tony pulled Peter into his lap, rubbing his back and rocking side to side, wishing he could remove his armor and  _ feel _ his son’s warmth. “It’s okay. I’m right here. You’re safe now.”

“Please don’t leave me.”

“Never.”

. . . . .

Tony was relieved when Peter finally dozed off. He couldn’t stand the fear and pain in his eyes every time someone moved or spoke. It broke his heart a little more each time.

The sadness and guilt nearly overshadowed the rage he felt toward Obie.  _ How could he do this to someone? Especially Peter? He’s so young, practically still a child. _

He sighed and carefully shifted the slumbering teen onto the bed. Standing, he groaned and stretched as much as he could in the suit. He needed to get out of it. Tony turned and ran a hand through his son’s hair, wishing he didn’t have the barrier of armor between them.

When the door opened, he looked up to see Bruce approaching, a grim look on his face. “What’s going on?”

“We can’t figure out what Obie infected him with. We’re going to need the research or the virus itself.”

“We need to find him, Rhodey. He needs to pay for this.”

“I know, Tony. But right now, Peter needs you here. You know if anyone can find him, it’s Nat. She wants him to pay just as much as we do.”

Bruse nodded in agreement. “Nat will find him. No one can hide from her for long.”

“Have you heard anything?”

“No.” Rhodey sighed and crossed his arms. “But you know as soon as she has a lead, she’ll contact us.”

“How’s Peter doing?”

“Well, as far as I can tell, the virus is attacking his immune system, but it’s having a hard time keeping up with his powers. But we need to find out what it is and how to stop it before it mutates. As far as injuries go, he’s alright. Most of the more severe injuries have healed already. He’s got a few bruised ribs, some other scrapes and bruises, but those should all clear up in a few days. I gave him something to help him sleep.”

Tony nodded, teeth clenched in anger. “Thanks, Bruse.”

“Of course, Tony. I’ll do everything I can to help.” He smiled weakly and turned to get back to work.

“I’m gonna go check on him. Let me know when you hear from Nat.”

“I will. We’re going to figure this out.”

Tony nodded, unable to voice agreement when the odds weren’t looking great. He sighed and turned to head to the med bay when F.R.I.D.A.Y. broke the quiet.

“Sir, Scary Redhead is on the line.”

“Put her through, Fri.” He and Rhodey shared a hopeful look as Nat’s voice filled the room.

“I’ve found him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no clue when the next chapter will be up, so I apologize in advance.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nat hunts down Obie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is 100% in Natasha's POV. I didn't start out with the intention of it happening this way, but here we are. Sorry I've been taking so long between chapters. I got my job back last week and I've been super busy with that.
> 
> TW: Minor character deaths

Nat knew she would find Obie. She could find anyone when she put her mind to it. What she didn’t count on was how stupid he was.

It hadn’t even been a full 24 hours since they’d found Peter. If it had been her, she would have left the country as soon as possible. Fly somewhere out of the reach of the American government. Several countries would have worked. He could have even flown to the other side of the country and bought himself more time.

But no. He got cocky. He thought he could sit back and watch his plan unfold and not get caught. He shouldn’t have underestimated the people around Peter. There were way too many heroes that would do anything for that kid. And people like her, with training and experience in disappearing. He should have known better than to stay so close to New York.

Not that she was complaining; Peter needed help now. At least this way, he wouldn’t have to suffer much longer. She would go in and get Obie so she could take him back to the lab. If he didn’t cooperate, then she would use force. She hoped he would put up at least a little resistance. If she could make him suffer as he made Peter suffer, then she would do it without a second thought.

She briefly considered calling in some backup but shut that thought down almost as soon as it crossed her mind. She knew Tony would want a piece of the monster, but Peter needed him right now. There would be plenty of time for revenge later. She could handle this on her own. This wouldn’t be the first she had to go it alone.

The safe house he had chosen wasn’t even a good choice. It was isolated. Not that being away from prying eyes wasn’t smart, but a house in a suburb would have been better than this. They were barely a mile from the nearest freeway. It was almost like he wanted someone to find him. If he wanted to be isolated, he should have gone much farther away from civilization.

She had parked her car about a half-mile away and walked the rest of the way. The tree line was too close to the house; it made her approach too easy. There were about 20 feet of open lawn between her and the structure.

From where she was, she couldn’t see inside the house. The glare of the sun made it difficult to see if there were blinds or curtains. It would have been safer for her to know if people were watching from inside, but she wasn’t going to wait around for the sun to set.

Outside, there were only two guards—one at the front door and one at the back. There was no way for her to know how many people were inside, but once she took care of the men outside, she would worry about the next step.

“Amateurs.” Taking them down would be a piece of cake.

She had to wait for the right moment before she could leave her cover. Making it across the open space without being spotted would make everything a lot easier. If she was spotted too soon, they would alert whoever was inside. She watched the men for a while. Getting a feel for their movements and pattern would be the best way to find an opening.

After about ten minutes, she felt she could successfully make the distance without being seen. She waited until neither man was looking her direction before she made her move. Double-checking the windows one last time, she crept forward. Within seconds she was crouched against the side of the house, out of sight of any windows. She counted to ten before she dared move. Once she was sure no one had seen her, she got as close as she could to the man at the front.

As soon as he turned his back, she leaped forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and head. She snapped his neck, lowering him to the ground and dragging him away from the door to the side of the house. No one would see his body unless they went outside.

“One down.” 

She made her way around to the back of the house, taking her time so as not to alert anyone to her presence. She took out the second man just as fast as she had with the first.

“Now for the big baddie.”

She already knew all of the windows were blocked, so she would have to go in blind. Knowing the number of occupants and their locations would have made it easier, but she always liked a challenge.

Going in guns blazing could end badly since she needed Obadiah alive. She thought for a moment before an idea came to mind. Throwing a rock through one of the upper windows would draw some attention; hopefully, it would be enough to scatter the occupants enough for her to take them out. At least that way, their focus would be away from the door.

Once she found a good-sized rock, she picked a window and launched it. The rock sailed through the air, crashing through the glass as she made her way toward the front.

Shouting and stomping footsteps told her that the distraction had worked. The noise echoed through the house toward the back. She listened to the voices and counted at least three people.

“Piece of cake.” She tried the door, finding it locked. Not that anything could stop her at this point. Peter needed help now, and she wasn’t going to let him down. She pulled out her guns and shot the lock before forcing the door open.

There was only one person in the front room. It had only taken Natasha seconds to get inside, and the man had managed to get into a good position to target the door. He got two shots off, one coming close to Nat’s leg before she pulled the trigger. He was fell to the floor, blood trickling from his head.

She made her way forward, through the front room and into the dining room, only slowing when two men came down the stairs. She took them out in seconds, not even blinking when a bullet flew past her head.

“That’s three.” She put her back to the wall, making sure that no one could sneak up behind her. She whipped toward the front door when a board creaked. The fourth man had tried to sneak up on her, but Nat got two shots off before he had fully made it into the house. She listened for a few more seconds to be sure there wasn’t anyone else.

“Is this really it? Five guys? Come on, Obie, I thought you were smarter than this.”

She started going through the rest of the house, moving from the dining room to the kitchen. Once she cleared the area, she moved toward the hallway. All of the lights were off, and the blinds were closed, so it made it difficult to see. Her eyes were adjusted enough to spot movement and shapes, but the sun had left dots in her vision.

“Where are you? Hiding won’t buy you much time. There are only so many places you can hide. I’ll find you eventually.”

Movement caught her attention as the man came out of the shadowed hall. “Who said I was hiding?”

She trained her guns on him as he moved forward. “Hands.”

“I am unarmed, Agent Romanoff. I surrender.” He put his hands up and continued to take slow steps forward.

Once she could fully see him, she said, “That’s far enough. On your knees.”

“Whatever you say.” He got onto his knees, keeping his hands fully visible. “I’ll come quietly.”

She put one gun away before she walked forward and punched him across the face. He grunted and fell to the side, catching himself on his hands and knees. She kicked him in the rear, sending him sprawling to the floor before she grabbed his wrist and twisted it up behind his back.

“It seems that you’re upset with me.”

“That’s an understatement.” She twisted his wrist a little more, smirking at the pained grunt it forced out of the monster at her feet. “You’re going to pay for what you did.”

“How is Peter?”

Natasha snarled and yanked the man’s arm up until his shoulder popped out of the socket. Obie yelped and tried to squirm away, but Nat didn’t relent in her hold. She holstered the other gun and grabbed a pair of handcuffs from her belt, securing his hands behind his back.

“Go ahead and resist. I’d love the excuse.”

He stopped struggling. “I said I would cooperate.”

“I’m going to take you to Tony, and you’re going to tell us everything we need to know.” She stood and glared down at the man. She wanted nothing more than to rip into him, make him suffer more than he ever had before. Only Peter kept her from acting on her thoughts.

“I’m not going to tell you anything. That’s not part of the plan.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll get you to talk. And I’ll enjoy every minute of it.”

He chuckled. “At first, I was worried Tony would find me before I was ready to be found, especially when he brought you in. But everything went exactly the way I wanted it to.”

“This is where it ends. Now things are going to go my way. There are no other options.”

Obadiah shook his head. “Oh, no, it’s still going according to plan. But don’t you worry about it. Just take me in, Agent Romanoff. I really do wonder how Peter is doing.”

She clenched her teeth, jaw twitching with fury. “If you think you’re getting anywhere near him, you’re mistaken.” She was having a hard time resisting the urge to beat him bloody.

“Do you honestly think you can stop me?”

“Yes. I know I can stop you.” She strode forward, grabbing the man’s bound arm and yanking him off of the ground, smiling when he hissed in pain. Blood dripped from his now broken nose, staining his rumpled white shirt. “Let’s go. You’ve got a car to catch.”

“Whatever you say, Agent.”

She frowned and started leading him toward the front door. On their way through the kitchen, she noticed a set of keys on the counter. “Where’s the Cadillac?”

“Around the side of the house.”

She grabbed the keys before she continued toward the exit. Once they made it to the car, Natasha opened the trunk and shoved him in with no care for his injuries, slamming the lid with more force than necessary.

She walked a little way from the car and pulled out her phone, dialing Tony’s number before hitting send. It only rang twice before the man answered. “I’ve found him.”

_ “That was fast.” _

She huffed a laugh. “He didn’t do a very good job of hiding.”

_ “Is he still alive?” _

Rolling her eyes, she said, “Yes. I know how important this is, Tony. I won’t kill him until Peter is okay. And even then, he’s your son. It’s up to you what happens to him.”

_ “Thank you, Natasha.” _

“One more thing. Something’s off. I think he expected this. I’m going to bring him in, but I think we need to take extra precaution.”

_ “Okay, we’ll be ready for you.” _

“Good. You take care of Peter for me.”

_ “I will.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea when the next chapter will be up. It may be the last, but I think there will be at least two more chapters.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Thank you for being so patient with me! I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be. I'm trying to wrap up, but I don't want to rush it.

Peter was still terrified of killing more people. Bruce seemed to be fine, but there was a small voice in the back of his head saying it was all a lie. Every time the man entered his room, Peter wanted to scream at him to  _ get away, get out, I don’t want to kill you too. _ But he didn’t. On some level, he knew Bruce was safe. The fear never went away, though.

It was even worse when his dad visited. The hazmat suit was supposed to protect him, but what if something went wrong? What if there was a hole, or the gloves weren’t on tight enough? The thought of killing his father was one of the scariest things he had ever had to experience. There would be no stopping it if Tony got infected. It only took minutes for the other men to die. It would be a lot safer if everyone just stayed away until they were about to make a cure.

He knew that it wasn’t his fault. Knew that there was nothing he could have done to stop it from happening, but he felt at least partially responsible for what had happened.  _ What if I had fought harder? What if, in the beginning, I had paid more attention and warned Happy just a few seconds sooner? There had to of been a way for me to prevent all of this from happening. I should have fought harder. _

He was pulled from his thoughts when Bruce walked over to his bedside. “Hey, Peter.” The man smiled when the teen looked up. His hands were in his pockets as he tried to look calm, but Peter could see the worry in the lines of his face and the tenseness of his shoulders.

Peter was grateful for all of the people that were helping him. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if he was alone in the world. He smiled back before replying, “Hi.”

“How are you feeling?” Peter’s smile dropped a bit, making Bruce stiffen.

Peter felt fine. A lot better than he had in a while. That was the problem. Shouldn’t he feel sick? Or different or something? Why didn’t whatever they gave him affect him? He finally shrugged. “Alright, I guess. The same as the last time you asked.”

The fearful look in the man’s eyes dissipated as his body relaxed, a small sigh of relief falling from his lips. “Good.” Burce pulled a thermometer from his pocket and held it in front of Peter’s forehead. A few seconds later, it beeped, and he looked at the screen. “99.2. That’s good. A tad high, but nothing to worry about.” He put the thermometer back into his pocket before continuing, “If you start-”

Peter rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he cut Bruce off. “I know, if I start to feel off, or sick, I’ll tell you.” It came out harsher than he intended. He knew they were only trying to help, but he was getting tired of everyone asking how he was feeling.

Bruce nodded, a sympathetic look on his face.

“Sorry,” Peter whispered. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“It’s okay. I know this is all really scary, but we’re going to figure it out. Nat is out looking for him. You know no one can hide from her for long.” He placed a reassuring hand on Peter’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Peter stiffened slightly at the contact, still afraid of hurting Bruce somehow. “Yeah, I know. I just wish none of this had happened.”

He moved his hand back to his pocket, taking a step back when he noted how uncomfortable the touch made Peter. “Me too, kiddo.”

They both jumped a little when F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice filled the room. “Dr. Banner, Boss is on his way down.”

“Thank you, Friday.” He smiled at Peter before walking to the computer in the corner of the room. His fingers clacked across the keys as he added new information to Peter’s file.

Peter twisted his hands in the sheets as he waited for his father. His anxiety grew with each passing second, and he hoped his dad was bringing good news. _ Maybe Nat found him already? Or maybe they didn’t need to find him, and they’ve figured out how to fix me? _

He looked up when the door slid open, revealing Tony wearing a hazmat suit. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard any approaching footsteps. It didn’t help that the room was nearly sound-proof.

Tony looked happy. The lines that had creased his forehead the last time he visited were smoother. “How’re you doing, Pete? Still feeling okay?”

Peter nodded, repressing the urge to roll his eyes as yet another person asked how he was feeling. “Yeah, I feel fine.”

“That’s really great.” He stopped about six feet away. The first time he had been in the room with Peter, the teen had panicked. He kept screaming at everyone to get away, lashing out at anyone that got within reach. After about ten minutes, Bruce had managed to sedate Peter. It wasn’t something Tony wanted to ever happen again, so he made sure to keep his distance.

“I’ve got some really good news, buddy.” He smiled and took a halted step forward, stopping himself from getting any closer.

_ Please, say that you found a cure and you don’t need him. _

“Nat found him. She’s gonna bring him to a secure location so she can figure out what they did to you. We’ll have you back to normal in no time.” Tony was radiating excitement.

Peter, on the other hand, was a little disappointed, but a small spark of hope in his chest grew, making him smile. “Really?”

His father nodded, a large smile lighting up his face. “Realy, really. Everything’s gonna be fine. We just have to wait a little longer.”

Peter could see how hard it was for him to stay where he was. He was coiled like a spring, his fingers twitching as he held himself back from leaping forward to embrace his son.

“Okay, I can do that.”

“Good. I-”

“Boss, Colonel Rhodes is requesting you meet him in on the roof.”

_ Why are they going to the roof? Is Nat bringing him here? I thought he said a secure location? _

Tony whispered under his breath when he saw the look on his son’s face. He grimaced before saying, “Thanks, Fri.” His shoulders drooped as he met Peter’s eyes, an apology on the tip of his tongue.

“Dad, is that . . .”

Tony sighed, his posture stiffening. “Yeah, that’s Nat. I didn’t want you to know.” He crossed his arms, looking away from Peter’s intense gaze. “I thought you would feel better thinking he was somewhere else. I’m sorry, Peter. But I promise he won’t get anywhere near you.” He held his breath in anticipation of Peter’s response.

Peter licked his lips and took a breath before he nodded. “Okay.” He was upset that his former captor would be in the same building, but he was disappointed in his dad for lying.

Tony let out a shaky sigh. “Okay. I gotta go. I promise we’re going to figure this out.”

“I know. I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too, Peter. Hang in there.” He nodded to Bruce before turning and rushing out of the room.

. . . . .

Tony had made it to the roof after the helicopter had landed. He made his way over to Rhodey, and two other men where they stood off to the side of the landing pad. They waited for the pilot to power down before they approached. 

Each of them took up a spot in a semi-circle around the door as Nat escorted the prisoner from the aircraft. The wind blew her flaming red hair around, making it seem like her head was on fire.

Tony inspected Obadiah as he stepped onto the roof. His eye was bruised, and he was favoring his side, but he looked fine otherwise. A little too fine in Tony’s opinion. “Did you have any trouble?” he asked Nat as she led Obadiah toward them.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” She handed the prisoner over to Rhodey and the two other guards before giving Tony her full attention. She appeared relaxed, but Tony could see the slight tension in her shoulders that gave away her worry. He looked her over to be sure she wasn’t hurt, only finding a small tear in the arm of her sleeve.

“Good,” Tony replied, masking his own worry as he resisted the urge to cross his arms. He turned to his former friend, sharing a look with him before he focused on their prisoner. “It’s too bad you didn’t rough him up a little more.”

Nat smiled. “He’s already decided that he isn’t going to say a thing, so there will be plenty of roughing up in the future.”

Tony nodded before pointing a thumb over his shoulder. “Better get him secured, Rhodey.”

“Yeah, I’m on it.” He and the two other guards started leading Obie toward the elevator. They waited for the doors to close before Nat folded her arms and clenched her jaw, tension filling her shoulders.

Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair before they locked eyes. “What did you find out?”

She shook her head, a small smirk tugging at her lips. “Oh, you’re gonna love this.”


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Peter's condition worsens. I'm sorry. NOT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuses. I apologize that it's been this long. I've had very little motivation to work on any writing let alone this specific story. But I got this chapter done a few days ago and it's my birthday, so I wanted to get it out even though my beta hasn't looked it over. Please let me know if I missed anything and let me know what you think about the chapter! And please let me know if you have any ideas what you think could happen in future chapters cause I don't really have any solid ideas myself :').
> 
> TW: Vomiting and a seizure.

Bruce glanced over his shoulder at his patient, his thoughts clouded with worry. Peter had been quiet since Tony left about forty-five minutes ago. He seemed to be staring off into space, perhaps deep in thought, a blank look on his face. After about ten seconds without seeing him blink, Bruce grew concerned. “You okay, Peter?” he asked, startling the teen.

Peter looked up, his eyes slightly unfocused and glassy. The blank look on his face scared Bruce. It was as though he wasn’t all there. Like he was too deep in thought or perhaps didn’t know where he was. They didn’t know what side effects the toxin could have and the possibility of Peter’s memories being targeted and lost was almost more terrifying than him dying. It would still be like they had lost Peter.

Bruce furrowed his brow as he approached the bed. He refrained from reaching out, knowing how skittish Peter had been with touch even when he was fully aware of what was going on around him. “Peter? Are you with me?” Getting no reaction sent Bruce into a slight panic. “Peter? Can you hear me?” He had raised his voice a little as he tried to gain the teen’s attention.

Peter blinked a few times, his movements sluggish as he tried to focus. His eyes finally met Bruce’s. He took a shuddery breath and squinted, scrunching up his face a bit in concentration. “Bruce?”

“Yeah, buddy, it’s Bruce.” He tried to keep his voice steady, he didn’t want to scare Peter when it was clear he was already having a hard time. He placed a gentle hand on Peter’s shoulder, squeezing it a little in an attempt to anchor him.

He huffed out a breath before he opened his mouth to speak. “I think . . . somefin’s . . .  _ something’s _ wrong.” His head lolled to the side a little as the world started to spin around him.

“Okay, it’s okay, just take a breath. What are you feeling?” Bruce’s panic was growing as he watched Peter struggling to do something as simple as organize his thoughts. They still didn’t know much about whatever they gave him when he was their captive.

“I- mmm . . .” He looked around the room again before continuing. “‘M dizzy.”

Bruce moved his hand up to Peter’s face to tilt it toward him before he pulled out a small penlight. He shined it in each of Peter’s eyes, not pausing when he blinked and tried to flinch away. “Okay, take a breath. Is there anything else?” He glanced over at the heart monitor, watching it for a few seconds before the beeping started to speed up a bit. His eyes snapped back to Peter’s face, his mind already connecting the dots as the teen’s face drained of color.

Peter’s breathing sped up as his mouth flooded with saliva. “I’m gonna be sick.” Bruce just managed to get the small wastebasket under Peter’s chin before the teen was vomiting the contents of his stomach.

Bruce rubbed his back in hopes of comforting him as he heaved, questions floated to the front of his mind. Was this all a good sign? Could it mean his body was trying to flush it out? Or was it a signal that his body was losing the fight?

As soon as Peter was done being sick, Bruce moved to set the basket aside only to be yanked back toward the bed. Before he turned back, he set the basket on the floor so he had both hands free, not wanting to risk dumping the contents. The beeping spiked as Bruce faced Peter once again. The panicked look in his eyes scared Bruce as Peter started to babble.

“Bruce, Bruce, they, th-the men they-” He cut off as he gasped for air, panic taking over his thoughts. “I’m gonna die. I’m-” His hands trembled as his fingers scrambled over the sleeve of Bruce’s lab coat, tears welling in his eyes.

Bruce grabbed Peter’s hands, holding them in his own. “No, Peter. Peter, I need you to breathe. Take a breath.”

Peter panted shallowly, the air rushing in and out of his body at a rate that wouldn’t allow him to absorb enough oxygen. “I-I can’t, Bruce, I can’t breathe!”

“Friday, where’s Tony?”

“Boss is on the roof with Miss. Romanoff.”

Bruce nodded, taking a breath. “Tell him I need him here now.”

“Of course.”

Bruce placed a hand on either side of Peter’s face, pulling it up to look him in the eyes. “Peter, you can breathe. I know you can do it. I’m right here.” He blindly fumbled for Peter’s hand before placing it on his chest. “Feel me breathe.” He exaggerated his breaths for Peter. “Breathe with me, Peter.” After a few seconds, Bruce could tell Peter was trying his best, but it wasn’t going to be enough. “Peter, listen to me. I need you to tell me five things you can see.”

“Wh-what?” Peter startled a little at the words, confusion clouding the panic enough for him to gain some focus. His hand pressed more firmly against Bruce’s chest as he fought the fear.

“Five things you can see.” Bruce was struggling to stay calm. Peter’s panicking was scaring him, he was spiraling and he needed to stop it from getting worse. If Peter passed out, he wouldn’t be able to tell Bruce what he was feeling, which would make it harder for Bruce to figure out what was going on.

Peter blinked a few times, a small hint of clarity shining through as he fought to obey. “O-okay.” His breathing was still erratic as his eyes flew around the room. “You, and, the, the blanket.” He fisted it tightly in his free hand. “The w-wall . . .” His voice faltered, tears finally falling as he tried to stay focused on the task.

Bruce nodded his encouragement, his breathing speeding up a bit in the face of Peter’s panicked state. “That’s great, Peter, two more. You can do this.” He moved his hand to the back of Peter’s neck when he tried to twist partway around in search of a fourth and fifth item.

“The light, a-and, the computer.” He looked back into Bruce’s eyes, his breaths hitching with half-choked sobs, tears carving tracks down his cheeks.

“That’s so great.” Bruce smiled and squeezed Peter’s hand. “Now I need you to tell me four things you can touch.”

The beeping of the heart monitor was like an alarm bell going off and Peter was struggling to block out the sound. A fresh wave of tears flowed down his cheeks, his hand scrabbling over anything within reach. “Y-you, the bed.” He glanced down for a brief few seconds before his eyes jolted back to Bruce’s. “My leg, a-and, and, the IV.”

“You’re doing so great, Peter. Remember to breathe, okay?” He took a few exaggerated breaths. “Now three things you can hear.”

Peter took a shaky couple of breaths and nodded. “My voice, your breathing, th-the monitor.”

“Good, that’s good. Two things you can smell.” Peter was finally calming down little by little. He wasn’t shaking as badly as before and there was strength in his gaze. Bruce was relieved to see his breathing calming and to hear the monitor slowing.

He took a deep breath before answering. “Antiseptic and sweat.”

Bruce smirked. “One thing you can taste.”

Peter scrunched his face up a bit before answering. “Bile.”

Bruce repressed a sigh of relief, lowering Peter’s hand to his lap before he said, “You back with me, buddy?”

“Yeah, I’m okay now, I think.” He shifted around a bit on the bed as he tried to find a comfortable position. “I still don’t feel right.”

“Okay, that’s okay, we’re going to figure it out.” Bruce looked at the monitor, taking in all of the information it had to give as possible scenarios raced through his mind. “Are you still dizzy?”

“Yeah.”

“Headache, lightheaded, nauseous?”

Peter bit his lip, focusing on how he felt before he answered. “Yeah, all of those.” He twisted the blanket in his hands to hide their shaking.

“Bruce!” They both jumped when Tony’s voice cut through the quiet. Tony was halfway into a hazmat suit, fear, and worry all over his face.

“It’s okay, Tony, Peter just got scared for a minute. He’s calmed down now, right, buddy?”

“Yeah. I’m okay now, dad. Sorry, I worried you.”

Tony sighed in relief before he started fumbling with the suit again. “It’s okay, Pete. I’m glad you’re feeling better now.” He managed to get both feet in the right holes after several seconds of angry muttering. Cho, who had shown up when she had heard the shouting, helped him figure the rest out.

Bruce turned back to Peter. “What else are you feeling?”

“I’m like, all floaty? I’m not really sure. Kinda confused. I feel weak, like my limbs are too heavy. And my muscles are kinda starting to cramp up a little.”

Tony, finally managing to get the suit on properly and getting a nod of approval from Cho, entered the room and moved toward Peter, stopping a few feet away. “What does that mean, Bruce? Is he okay?”

“I’m not sure yet. I think his body may be fighting whatever it is that they injected him with. It may be trying to flush out the foreign toxin.” He took the thermometer out of his pocket and held it over Peter’s forehead until it beeped. “Your temperature is a little high. Is the cramping anywhere specific or is it all over?”

“Kind of all over.” He winced as the cramping in his legs ramped up a bit. It was like someone was setting his calves on fire. The pain burned and moving only made it worse.

“I’m not sure what’s going on, but we’re going to figure it out. Everything is going to be okay.” Bruce’s voice was firm and directed at both Tony and Peter. They almost believed him, but they knew nothing was for sure. They didn’t know what was wrong with Peter and they didn’t know how to fix it.

“Nat got some new information. A possible cure. She’s talking to Cho now.” Excitement inched into his voice, but it wasn’t enough to cover up the worry.

“How? Did-” Bruce glanced at Peter nervously before focusing back on Tony. “Did he talk?”

“No, she found the doctor first. I guess he was trying to leave the country and he made a mistake. He was pretty cooperative as soon as he realized who Nat was.” He smirked as he spoke. “He gave her all the research, so Cho is going over it now.” He was shifting from foot to foot, impatience making him restless.

Peter sighed in relief only to gasp as the cramping started to become too intense. It brought tears to his eyes as he hunched over, his muscles uncooperative as he tried to move to relieve the feeling.

“Peter!” Tony moved forward, unable to watch his son suffer from a distance. “Bruce, do something!”

The monitor was beeping so fast that it started blending into one continuous whine. Peter cried out as his entire body locked up, his limbs starting to shake uncontrollably.

“Get him on his side!” Bruce was already trying to reposition Peter as he shouted, moving his flailing limbs before rolling him. Tony immediately raced to help.

Peter grunted as his body acted on its own accord, tears falling from his eyes faster with each passing second. He was terrified; the men had seizures before they died. Was that what was happening to him now? Was it all going to be for nothing? Did they get the cure just in time to watch him die?

A million different thoughts raced through his mind before the world faded to black and his thoughts vanished.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uhhhhhhhhhh, some stuff happens..... Yeah, that!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Sixteen
> 
> Hi, all! Uhhhhhmmmm, I am in fact alive. :,) I apologize for not updating sooner. It's been really hard for me to find the motivation to write at all and this story is kind of actually a big part of that lol. It's because I hate writing endings. oops. Anyway, I have a million excuses, but I really doubt anyone wants to know or really cares. Let's just say it's 2020. That's a reason, right? I am very determined to finish this story because I always told myself I wouldn't be one of those fanfic writers that had a bunch of unfinished stories on their profile, and I'm trying really hard to stick to that.
> 
> Edit: I just realized it is the one year anniversary of me posting this fic! Holy cow that's crazy! I truly am sorry it took me six months to update this.
> 
> Okay, on with the chapter! I really hope this was worth the wait... :,)
> 
> I apologize if any of the events don't add up, it's been a long while since I've done any writing for this story. Please do let me know if I missed anything or messed something up!
> 
> TW: There's a seizure and a bit of a panic attack in this chappy and I think that's about it. Maybe some language, I can't remember lol even though I just read it. ohhhhhh welllll.

Tony couldn’t remember much of what happened after Peter passed out. Everything faded to dark thoughts when Peter’s eyes rolled back into his head.  _ He’s going to die when the cure is in the next room. I just got him back. I can’t lose him now. Not again. _

Everything else was a blur. Fear and desperation as Peter started seizing. Shouting and fighting and someone forcing him out of the room despite his desperate attempts to resist. Fists pounding on the glass until they were bruised before his chest tightened and he had to sit down, ripping off the hazmat hood so he could catch his breath. His head resting in his shaking hands as the world faded away, tunneling into the panic.

Then a gentle touch on his shoulder snapped him back enough to hear Pepper’s comforting tone. He couldn’t make out what she was saying, but her voice alone was soothing. Tony managed to slow his breathing enough to be rid of the light-headed feeling making everything clearer.

“Tony, it’s okay. Peter’s okay. Everything is going to be okay. Keep breathing for me, okay?”

Tony’s breath started to even out, almost returning to normal within a few minutes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“That’s it. Take a deep breath and hold it for a few seconds. Everything’s okay.”

He nodded and took another breath, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out.

“You back with me?”

“Yeah, Pep. I’m okay now.”

“Well, I don’t think “okay” is quite the right word, but I think we’ll get there.”

He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut before he stood. He walked to the window to check on Peter, happy to see him still, and relaxed on the bed. He was pale and sweaty but alive.

“Tony?” Pepper placed a hand on Tony’s arm.

“I’m fine, Pep.”

“We both know that’s not true.”

“I’m doing a lot better than Peter.” He started shedding himself of the rest of the protective suit. He needed to do something to occupy his shaking hands.

“That doesn’t mean you’re fine, Tony. That just means you’re being affected differently than Peter.” She pulled his arm toward her and he turned to face her. “He’s in good hands. Bruce is going to figure out the cure and save Peter.”

“What if we’re too late? We’re running out of time. What if it’s not the cure at all but another trick?”

“Bruce says it’s the cure. He’s tested it on some of Peter’s affected blood and it worked. He’s so close. He’s going to figure it out and Peter will be okay. Spiraling into what-ifs isn’t going to help anyone.”

Tony shook his head. “I know that, but it’s so hard not to right now.”

“I know, Tony, but-” Pepper hesitated when the lights flickered.

“What the hell?” Tony muttered. He kicked the suit off of his feet as he gazed at the ceiling, his eyebrows coming together.

“Boss, some-” F.R.I.D.A.Y. faded into garbled static for a few seconds before coming back in stilted pieces. “Hac- urity. St- open. Rho-” She cut off when everything went black. It was as if the building died. Silent and still and dark.

“Tony, what’s going on?” Pepper asked, panic and concern lacing her tone as she latched onto his arm for support.

“Someone’s hacked Friday, and whoever it is knows what they’re doing. My guess is they’re trying to get to either Stane or Peter or both. Fri has a back up emergency system that should kick in soon.”

“What do we do?” Pepper asked.

“I have to go check on Rhodey and make sure Stane is still contained. I want you to stay here and make sure Peter stays safe.”

As he finished speaking, the lights burst back to life, making Tony and Pepper cover their eyes at the sudden shock.

“Tony, what’s going on?” Bruce’s voice came through the speakers, startling Tony.

“Someone’s hacked Fri. I’m going to go check up on Stane. Pepper is going to stay here with you guys. Get that cure figured out and save my son, doc.”

Bruce nodded. “I will. Peter is going to be fine.”

“Thank you.”

Pepper squeezed Tony’s arm. “Be careful, Tony.”

“You too.” Tony turned and jogged down the hall toward the elevator.

Luckily, the elevators were up and running, but F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s backup system wasn’t strong enough to power everything back up. Most of the tower was without any kind of power. That was the biggest reason Tony went for his nearest suit. It would cost him time he may not have to spare, but he couldn’t risk being caught off guard and vulnerable, especially without any back-up.

When the elevator reached the right floor, he squeezed his shoulder through the doors, spilling out into the hallway. Stumbling in his hurry, he managed to stay upright before bolting down the hall toward his lab.

He tried not to think about the time he was wasting as he scrambled with the emergency manual unlock for the reinforced doors. They hissed before sliding open. It took him a few seconds to orientate himself in the darkness before he calculated the best way through the cluttered room.

He moved forward as fast as he could, tripping twice before he made it to his suit. He stepped into it as quickly as he could manage, sighing in relief when he could fully see once again.

Knowing the fastest route was to go out and then back in, he exited the lab and headed for the nearest window before he flew out and descended to the right floor, crashing back into the building.

. . . . .

The seizure lasted nearly two minutes, but to Peter, it felt more like twenty. When he woke again, his muscles ached and his head was pounding, but at least he was in control of his body again.

He carefully shifted to test his mobility, noting the new soreness that seemed to engulf his entire body. The new aches were annoying, maybe a bit uncomfortable, but nothing he hadn’t dealt with before.

He looked around to see if he was alone in the room, pushing down the panic a bit when he saw that at least Cho had stayed with him.

He hated the room, perhaps he was even a little afraid of it. Being left alone made it so much worse. It made him think back to the cold lonely room Obie had kept him trapped in for days on end. How there was the least amount of human contact possible, none of it positive or comforting in any way.

Cho’s voice pulled Peter from his dark thoughts. “Hey, Peter. It’s okay. You’re safe.”

Peter took a deep breath and nodded half-heartedly before pushing himself up into a sitting position. “Yeah, I know. I’m just tired of being stuck here.”

She stopped writing on her clipboard and looked over at her patient. “I understand, Peter. It won’t be much longer. Bruce is working on the cure right now.”

“Do you know how close he is to figuring it out?”

Cho’s face scrunched a bit in concentration as she checked over Peter’s vitals, the harsh fluorescent lights reflecting off of her hazmat suit. She wrote a few things down on her clipboard before placing it on the nearby table. She checked the clock and turned toward Peter, but he stopped her before she could speak.

“You don’t know, do you?”

She sighed and looked away, crossing her arms before nodding. “The truth is, we have no idea when it will be ready.”

Peter looked down at his hands, watching as the sheet twisted and creased in his hands. “Do you think it’s the cure?”

“Yes. We tested it on a sample of your blood. It’s definitely the cure.” She moved forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. It was meant to be a comforting gesture, but the hazmat suit was a firm reminder of the seriousness of the situation. “How are you feeling?”

Peter shrugged. “I’m pretty sore, but I feel okay.”

“No odd pains anywhere?”

Peter thought for a moment, ticking off all of his aches and pains before he answered. “Nothing new other than the soreness.”

She nodded. “Okay, that’s good. If you think you can, go ahead and try to get some rest. All we can do right now is wait.”

“All right. I can try.” He sighed and closed his eyes as he tried to relax.

. . . . .

When Tony was finally able to navigate to the floor they were supposed to be keeping Obie on, it was pitch black. He knew it would be, but he didn’t expect it to be still and silent as well. That, combined with the night vision in his suit illuminating everything around him in an eerie way, made it seem like the hallway was haunted.

He kept his steps quiet and even as he moved down the hall. He wanted to call out for Rhodey, but he didn’t want to alert anyone else to his approach if they didn’t already know he was there.

He cursed under his breath when he came to the room Obie was taken to. The door was ajar and the guards he had sent to help Rhodey were inside. Luckily, according to the heart monitor in his suit, they were only unconscious. He moved forward, he didn’t have time to check on them all when Obie and Rhodey were still missing.

He looked down the hall again as he tried to determine which way they would have gone. Tony couldn’t decide if Obie would have wanted to get out of the building or if he was planning on trying to find Peter.

That’s when something caught his eye. Someone had carved a large arrow into the paint of the wall.

“I don’t like the way this is going.”

He took a breath and, against his better judgment, followed the arrow. Once he made it to the wall, he turned and saw another arrow.

“This is all just a game, isn’t it. Why couldn’t you have just stayed dead, you psycho.”

He took careful steps, scanning anything he could to make sure there wasn’t a trap anywhere. It slowed his progress a lot, but he didn’t want to get caught off guard.

After about five minutes, it started to get lighter. The arrows started to get farther apart until he couldn’t find the next one. He looked around for a few seconds before he heard a noise. He looked around until the suit was able to pick up two heartbeats.

He moved forward, coming into a large conference room. Rhodey was strapped to a chair with some kind of cord and Obie was standing behind him, a gun pointed at his head.

Anger rose in Tony. First, he went after his son, and then he thought it would be a good idea to threaten his friend’s life. He clenched his fists as his breathing started to speed up.

Obie smiled, the scarring on his face twisting it into something sinister. “Took you long enough, Tony. I was starting to think you wouldn’t come.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do leave a comment and let me know what you thought!

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think in the comments!


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